Reading so much great stuff out there in the bloggy world today! I love this post called The Balance Myth, which highlights something I think about (and hear from others) all the time. People ask me all the time how I “do it” which always makes me laugh, as I think of all the things I don’t do, and the ones I don’t do well. I’ve even blogged about this before.
I drop a lot of balls. I often feed my kids breakfast in the car, I never blowdry my hair, I wear Juicy sweatpants 90% of the days that I am not at work, I have a very limited social life, my immune system is a mess from subsisting on caffeine, wine, and gummy candy, and I miss a lot of school functions.
But I also have certain rules and have made certain decisions that help me a lot. I always pack lunches the night before, I pay bills the day they come in the door, I avoid the phone in favor of email (more efficient), I cook for the kids a couple of times a week and the rest of the time I assort and reheat, I live in a small house with limited upkeep that is close to school, I shop a few times a year for kid birthday presents and store them until needed, and I put my kids to bed at 7:00 every night (preserving a few hours for my sanity).
Here’s the post’s key paragraph (in my humble view):
The big secret is that very few people feel even remotely balanced. We’re all being pushed and pulled in a thousand directions. I think the best we can hope for is to fall in love with the living of life and enjoy the ride.
Absolutely true and crucial to remember. Most of all feel we are a mass of loose ends inside. I forget this all time, as I admire women I know who seem to accomplish a thousand things a day, all while maintaining a sunny smile, a perfect outfit, and gorgeous hair. My wise friend who reminded me not to confuse people’s outsides for their insides was onto something: we have to remember, every single day, that probably all of those people who seem to have it all under control are just as flummoxed and frayed as we feel.
I think the post has other wise things to say, about finding things to do for “work” that we love, such that they don’t feel like work (I’m nowhere near that point). The line that strikes the deepest chord is me is that the best we can hope for is to fall in love with the living of life and enjoy the ride.
I think, ultimately, that that is the big prize. To love our lives. To accept them, in all of their mess and inadequacy and moments of blazing splendor.