I'll tell you later

It's raining out, so I never went for my jog.

I wanted to tell you about the birthday plans I have made for my husband Dan, but it's a secret, so I can't do that.

I wanted to tell you about what has been going on at Dan's work, but I'm not really allowed to talk about that yet either.

I wanted to tell you about what I have been doing all night, instead of writing this blog, and that I can do!

I spent an hour or more reading through the entire 150 year history in images and small text of Dan's company - Bayer.  In honour of their 150th year, every employee was sent this massive textbook-looking history book, which is very lovely and comprehensive actually, as well as a commemorative gold coin.  Nice touch!

I learned how Bayer employees developed Aspirin, foam, and birth control pills among many other innovations.  I learned that Bayer has a library of over 3 million active ingredients:  compounds known to cause changes and reactions in the body, that its chemists can choose from when creating a new drug.  It was the first company to compress powder into a pill and employs over 110,000 people worldwide - many in Europe and more specifically Germany, where Bayer was first established.  Over 15,000 people are employed by Bayer in North America, and the company made an impressive $40 billion in sales globally last year.

The book was also comprised of 150 human interest stories, and notably, one man went from living in an orphanage in Japan, after losing both his parents during the war, to being raised by monks, to becoming one of Bayer's lead chemists and innovators.

Another woman was a pioneer of her time in raising awareness around the need for family planning and women's rights in sexual reproduction, and the right to birth control.  As a nurse who helped and advised many women, she shared a heart-wrenching letter she received.  The women was pleading with her for help.  She was 30 years old with 11 children who were malnourished.  They were all poor and she herself had heart and lung problems and was fearing she was pregnant again.  Her doctor told her she would go crazy if she had another baby, and she said,   "I would rather die than have another child."  This story took place in the 1950s and it made me realize how much has changed in such a seemingly short time.  It is hard to fathom not having the choice and freedom of birth control, and I recognize the importance of sexual health education, which was non-existent at the time.

After I finished the book, Dan and I spent quite a while looking at houses online, and wasting time lamenting over all the things we have to do (and are not doing because we're complaining about it).

I have no regrets about letting my mind wander tonight.  Sometimes it is nice to let curiosity get the best of you.

Two more days until Elyse turns 1!  Can't wait for the party...tell you more about that later too :)