Why is it that in the midst of being incredibly overwhelmed, one is unlikely to notice? In the harried state of balancing too many roles and expectations and necessities and changes, life flies by, barely more than a blur? And then, when one finally does manage to surface, the feelings of guilt from the things left undone abound?
It is in these times of massive to-do lists and piles of paperwork that priorities are identified; friendships unveiled; and the inner-self revealed. This time, I vow to get it right . . . next time.
A peek into my life would reveal a woman who is barely balancing it all. The stomach flu has made its round through my three children. My annual Labor Day cold has attacked my husband and me. The surgery I had nearly two months ago is continuing to take a toll on my body. The daily walks that I so desperately need are put to the back burner. Blogging has been reduced to a series of “back-dated” posts once a week on my personal blog, and nearly non-existent here on Two Writing Teachers. Which causes me to pause and ask, exactly what has been compiling my slices of daily life?
I could make a list, but the long and the short of it comes down to following Stacey’s advice. Six days ago, she emailed me these three nuggets of wisdom in response to an email I sent expressing the brink of my balancing act. She wrote:
1. Family comes first. Always.
2. Health comes first. Always.
3. Religion comes first. Always.
Perhaps this time I did get it right. Looking back, I’m not sure what I would have changed in order to find more time for the things I feel guilty about not getting done.
And at 11:04 pm, with the alarm set for 4:45 am — I have no choice, but to post this, even though it reveals part of my life I’m not so sure I’m comfortable sharing with the entire blog-o-sphere. Hence, it’s either post now or continue harboring guilty feelings about neglecting TWT.
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this too will pass……have you heard this before? It is very difficult to remember while living in the everyday circumstances of life unless you have heard it a zillion times before!!!
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boy…and to think you were my shoulder to lean on the other day! Ruth, praying that over the next few days that you begin to see some of the harvest you have helped sow.
Love the true honesty!
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Ruth- If that is not authentic then I don’t know what is 🙂
Monica
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I hear Martha Stewart only sleeps a few hours each night too! 🙂
Balance is a tricky thing for all of us. We think we’ll do it over the summer, then by Thanksgiving, then by winter break, then by spring break, then by the end of summer… In the end you just have to give yourself a break!
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Thanks for sharing this Ruth. Did you feel better once you had it all out there?
You raise issues that so many of us have to deal with and there’s no easy solution, but it’s good to keep writing and considering how to make the best choices for you and yours.
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Ruth, your post captured the feelings of many of us. Thank you for being real! Somedays I envy my counterparts who seem to get it all done, when I’m leaving school by 3:45 to meet a bus. I try to remember I’m at a different stage in life, I still have a child at home who needs me and that has to come first.
PS. How did Stacey get to be so wise, when she looks so young? And how does she get by on so little sleep?
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I’m glad my list of three helped. TWT will be here once the dust settles on your health & with the kids’ school year. Not to worry. We all miss your posts (they tend to be way more philosophical than mine, which I truly admire!) and look forward to having you back in the blogosphere when things aren’t in as much flux.
Oh, and even though I’m commenting on this at 3:20 a.m., please remember to get some sleep. (I’m up, but thankfully did get to bed by 10:15 p.m. last night.)
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You may have shared more than you wanted, Ruth, but that glimpse of vulnerabilty amplifies your humanity. Stacey has advised you well and in sharing that, we are all reminded to focus on the truly important. God bless you, Ruth. You encourage us all.
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