Monday, September 22, 2014

Balancing Work, Life and DIY


My husband is a wonderfully patient man.  I think he’s learned more about me in the past year than all the previous time combined.  We’ve been through some rough times and I fell apart for a while.  Frankly, we both did.  When I fall apart, not only do I withdraw but I start doing one of two things – creative work or shopping.  Wait… three things – because I’m an emotional eater, so eating crappy food is something else I’m likely to indulge in when other things are out of my control.
I’m not proud of this, but I try to be honest here.  Anyway, my mania can cause a lot of half-started projects and purchase of random things no one knew we needed (but we did!)…  He’s put up with it all.  Even when we are in disagreement, we have slogged it out.  I’m guess that’s part of the mystery orf marriage – not only being willing to slog it out with the right person but knowing who that person is.  You can’t get down and dirty with everyone, you have to really know and trust someone to take that risk.   That’s all part of love.

Anyway… he’s great and I’ve been trying to figure out since I said “I do” how to balance – in no particular order -  working fulltime (necessary), being a wife (necessary), being a stepmom (not necessary if you ask the teenagers), being a puppy-mom (necessary), being a hopeful mom-to-be (necessary?), being a good daughter (necessary), being a good sister (necessary), being a good Christian (vital!), being an artist (necessary), being a baker (necessary), being a freelancer (sometimes necessary), being a student (more necessary than the attention I give it), and being a performing actor (still necessary).   

Does that seem like a lot?  I bet if you list all the elements of your life, you have as much or more you’re also trying to juggle.  We just don’t realize it most of the time.

Top all of that off with caring for your health, physical and mental, by eating well and getting enough sleep or exercise.  You may just fall over.  It’s a lot.  And people all around us every day are all struggling to do the same things as well.  Some are just better at it than others…
Side rant:  And yet there are those people who MAKE time to gossip, belittle, judge, and harm others.  If we all spent more time in our own yards, we’d find less complaint with the neighbors.  It seriously annoys me how much time people (and the media) spend worrying about what others are doing.  If we gave our own lives as much attention, how much better could things be?  /end side rant

At any rate, I'm still exploring this - talking to others who have as much or more to juggle in their lives and finding out methods that are healthy and work.  Just a heads up in case you want to skip those posts.  Sharing the info seems, in my mind, a good way to open that discussion in many places. 

We are a nation of overachievers - but there has to be balance.  Here's to finding it:  *Cheers!*

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