People often ask me "how do you do it?" That is, work full time, raise kids, volunteer at their school and in my community, host parties . . . and still find time to read and enjoy other leisure time. The truth is, of course, that nothing is ever as it appears. My mind is usually going a mile a minute, I put way too much pressure on myself to always be "productive," I'm almost always multi-tasking which is often good, but sometimes not, and I'm not always so good at taking care of myself and my own needs in the midst of the wonderful craziness that is my life.
And the other truth is that I have the proverbial village that it takes to do all of this -- a job with reasonable and flexible hours, a husband who is a full partner in all of it and who also has a job with reasonable and flexible hours, parents who live nearby who are always willing to help, healthy and happy children, friends and neighbors who are a willing part of the safety net, and most importantly, a good source of income so I can throw money at certain logistical challenges when they arise. To say that I am blessed is an epic understatement, and I'm acutely aware of how this multi-faceted safety net enables me to lead a wonderfully hectic and full life.
But I also do pride myself on trying to keep things simple and I think it's one of the keys to managing the kinds of lives that so many of us are leading -- where we're balancing myriad combinations of raising children, being in intimate relationships, working in or out of the home, volunteering in our community, and still trying to have some semblance of a life.
Trust me -- I often fail wildly! But I think I succeed more than I fail and that makes it all a little bit more possible.
So I've started this blog both to see if any of my ideas, tactics or ruminations will resonate with anyone else out there. And also as a bit of personal therapy -- as a way to better hold myself accountable for keeping things simple whenever possible, and perhaps finding a little bit more time to take care of myself.
I don't expect that what I do will work for everyone -- both because of the village I have at my disposal and because different things work for different people. But maybe somethings will work for you, or get you thinking about a way to simplify a particular aspect of your life. And I also hope that this blog becomes a vehicle for you to share your simplicities with me, as much as I share mine with you.
Here I go . . . .
