LIFE IS LIKE RIDING A BICYCLE.
TO KEEP YOUR BALANCE,
YOU MUST KEEP MOVING.
YOU MUST KEEP MOVING.
(Albert Einstein)
I don't do well with balance - on my bike or otherwise. I tended to be all or nothing, one extreme to the other. I've gotten better at it over the years . . . until I realized being "balanced" made me feel sort of bland. I was neither here nor there; I was in limbo.
The problem was that I was using other people's definition of "balance" and not my own - I "should" spend this much time at work and this much time with family and this much time doing this or that or the other thing. All that did was make me feel like I was never doing enough. I felt like all of my oomph was chained up inside of me and only allowed outside for a few minutes and then could only go in a certain direction. That's not balanced; that's miserable.
So, I realized that if I want to write on a day most people have off of work, like today, that's okay. If my husband wants to go into the office and get some stuff done while the phones aren't ringing, that's okay, too. If I throw myself into a writing marathon session one day, it's okay if I throw myself into reading a good book the next. My husband and I have set up our lives (as much as you can control these kinds of things) that way. That's our balance. That's my balance.
What's yours?
I have no balance because I have kids. They throw everything off kilter. Even when they're at school, I'll get phone calls to collect one because they've broken their finger or are ill. I've learnt how to write and help with homework at the same time though, does that count?
ReplyDeleteAnnalisa - sure that counts! Whatever works for you.
ReplyDeletei reward myself. get some chores done, get some writing done...and the family activities trump all...thats life!
ReplyDeleteTara - rewarding ourselves is definitely something to keep in mind. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure I have balance...I teach school and try to be a wife and mother as well as a writer. As I tell people who ask me; I beg, borrow and steal time to write-an hour here or an hour there and just make it work. I've tried the scheduled posts on specific days and then something gets in the way so I just write when I can and visit when I can...Whatever works for you is the right thing!
ReplyDeleteTracy - that's it exactly! Everyone's balance is different.
ReplyDelete"That's not balanced; that's miserable." True words, mos def. Honestly, I'm still trying to find balance in my life, but somehow I've managed 1K a day for the past few months, and I'm content with that, considering my teaching gig and all.
ReplyDeleteMilo - that's the key - finding your own balance, whatever that is and whatever works for you. That 1K words a day is excellent!
ReplyDelete