Family, the Glue to Hold it Together
I have a Fitbit. The lowest end, free with my phone version. Nevertheless, a Fitbit. I compete with my friends to see who has the most steps and what-not. It’s a LOT of fun!
While I was mucking stalls and performing other barn duties, my step count was over 20K each day. My friend, Shelley, who runs every day, pointed her finger at me. Exhilarating! As for my word count…(insert raspberry sound).
Now that I am free of my bondage, I’ve been diligently writing and revising Tarbin’s True Heir. My step count MIGHT max at 6000, depending on how much ice tea I drink. Pathetic! Shelley is no longer threatened by me. My word count, however, sits back where it should be. (Though I will in NO way make my goal with the two weeks out for physical exertion.)
What is my point? Balance. Not one of my strong suits. (See previous blog.) How do you properly balance children, husband, household, community involvement, entertainment, writing, friendships and personal care? (I kept going back to the previous sentence and adding a responsibility I remembered as I continued to type.) I’ve been great about housework and writing and community involvement this week, but horrible with personal care and entertainment and husband.
I often wonder why I can’t make a daily schedule and stick to it. Maybe that’s why? I have too much to take care of to get to it EVERY day. I have to pick and choose what is most important that day or that week or that moment and everything else has to wait. A schedule does not accommodate those parameters. I can’t schedule two hours to revise when it might take me four to reach a stopping point. I can’t schedule an hour to sweep and mop the living room when I move the couch and find something died under there. I can’t schedule a two hour date with my husband when we end up getting stuck in traffic for an indeterminate amount of time.
So, how do I survive? Family. If I take a step, or a hundred steps, back, I see the path of my life branching in large circles into each category and returning to family. Sometimes, a path gets too muddled to continue and I have to backtrack. Most of the time, I stay in each circle as long as I need to before the next path beckons me onward. My family resides as the firm, straight line down the center of my world. As long as that line does not bend or crack, I’m doing okay.
Luckily, my family is HUGE. I have my husband and children to hold and bond with. I have dear friends to laugh and drink with. I have partners in Girl Scouts that endeavor to make the world a better place. I have relatives on both my side and my husband’s side who are supportive and loving.
Maybe I’m worried about nothing and should simply keep walking…..figuratively. I don’t have time to take a walk right now. I’ve got more revising to get through.
