It's the little things...
I’m constantly on a quest for the proverbial state of balance. But these days, balance is getting a lot of hype. It’s become a buzz word, a marketing tool and another thing to accomplish on our never-ending to-do lists.
Pay the bills. Check. Take care of business. Check. Achieve balance. Check.
Feeling pressure to achieve balance is a bit counterproductive, don’t you think? [Read more...]
It’s twenty days until the 2010 Moms’ Run and I’m trying not to hyperventilate. There’s something about planning a major event that is very fulfilling… it’s amazing to see all the hard work come together and take on a life of its own. But that’s also what’s so scary about it. Doing something so big requires a lot of planning, a lot of forward thinking, a lot of anticipating things that may go wrong. But on race day, I will have to shift gears and go with the flow. It will be a true exercise in living in the moment.
This morning, I had the best intentions of starting the week organized and prepared. [Read more...]
This month, I’m celebrating my two-year blogiversary. This post was originally published April 9th, 2008. This version has been slightly edited, because I realized it’s unbearable to re-post something I wrote two years ago without making some revisions.
Work-life balance tops pay– this according to a recent Hudson survey of 1,634 workers who have been in their current jobs for at least five years. The question: What is the primary reason you accepted your current position? Work-life balance topped the list, over compensation (a close second), work culture, training opportunities and advancement opportunities.
Work-life balance. What does that really mean? [Read more...]
I became my own boss so I could be in charge of my work-life balance, and this week I realized it was time to brush up on my management skills.
Have you ever had those days when everything is clicking and moving and grooving—you’re on fire with productivity? I have those days, too. When I’m drunk on adrenaline, [Read more...]
… I was lying in a hospital bed, playing cards with my best friend, taking bets on the size and weight of my baby boy. At 11:46 pm, Dillon arrived weighing in at 6 pounds, 10 ounces and 20 inches long. I can’t remember who won the bet.
I can remember how magical it felt to lock eyes with my son. [Read more...]
I had a wonderful telephone conversation with my grandmother recently. The surface of small-talk was broken, and suddenly we were chatting candidly about how different it is today. [Read more...]
We all have the same hours of the day, and it’s easy to fill those hours with a whole lot something, or a whole lot of nothing. I stay home with my children while simultaneously juggling several professional projects, but I don’t think I’m busier than anyone else. In fact, I have no desire to win the “busy contest.”
I have plenty to do. But I also spend a lot of time walking around in circles. Wait, what was I doing? Where was I going? There are lots of words to describe me, but “efficient” is not on top of the list.
So I decided to do one thing to help increase my efficiency. [Read more...]
That’s what my husband calls it when I’m on the computer, chatting up my social network.
In my quest for balance, I’m seeking a happy medium in my love/hate relationship with the Internet. There are plenty of advantages, but it also has an addictive quality. I have wondered if they make a patch to help cure my obsessive checking of email, Facebook and Twitter.
I have some fun with my little “problem” over at Hybrid Mom. Click here to read Twitter, You Bug Me.
I’m a more-the-merrier kind of person. Table for 12? Awesome. I’m hosting a get-together? Sure, bring a friend. In high school, I ran around with pom poms and secured the superlative “Most School Spirit.” I’m not kidding. And then again, you’re probably not surprised.
But at the heart of this extroverted personality is a woman who craves genuine connections, quality over quantity. In this stage of my life, I enjoy the comforts of home more than the social scene. I think that’s why the Internet is so fascinating. I can chit-chat and make new friends all day long, while I’m sitting on the couch in my pj’s trying to recall the last time I washed my hair.
In the new year, I’m on a quest for balance. I tend to live in extremes, in either/or thinking, believing it has to be one way or the other. And why this may be true in some cases, I’m most at peace and most connected with God when I embrace the concept of and. I want this and that. I want to stay home with my kids and I want a successful career. I used to say “I want to be home with my kids, but I want a career, too.” Now I realize I don’t have to pit the true desires of my heart against one another.
People ask me how I do it, and I tell them “very, very imperfectly.” There are days I amaze myself and days I fall short.
I looked up the definitions of introvert and extrovert and found that I’m am both. I get my energy from being around others and I get my energy from being alone. Too much of either is just too much. Not enough of one is just not enough.
So tell me, are you an introvert or an extrovert? In what ways do you seek balance?
I haven’t forgotten I owe you an update on MyMeWriMo. I’m not attempting to tease you. There will be no grand reveal: Surprise! I wrote a whole book in one month, and I’m searching for an agent now!
Not. But I did make progress and have some interesting revelations to share. I’ll get to that later this week.
First, I want to reassess why I’m even here, posting regular updates on this blog, in the first place. I relaunched the blog in May, with the tag line “under the MAC,” to document my journey as a writer and my quest to write a book. I wanted to blog with a purpose– to reveal my authentic voice, the many layers that make up the writer and woman. I also aspired to be mildly entertaining and to show you the ”real me” without making you gag from TMI.
As I dug deeper and deeper into my story, I knew I would encounter periods of creative flow and periods of stagnation. I would confront my angels and my demons. This blog is where I would share some of what of learned, my lessons and my insights, with you.
And, I think for the most part, I’ve done that.
I dance between my inner and my outer world… my desire to perform… my desire to look within. It’s all about balance… caring for mind, body and spirit. It’s about learning to feel whole, living this life to the full, with a sense of meaning and purpose.
So in the new year, I’ve reconnected with my commitment to the blog, to the book and to you, my dear readers and friends. I thank you for joining me on my journey, drawing your own conclusions/inspiration/entertainment from my hopefully not-so-random musings.
Do you have a vision for the new year? Share them with me! I’m not scared to pull out my pom poms and do a little cheer.
