This isn’t one of those articles where I try to speak for many. I’m only speaking for myself. I’d like to say I’m a fair representation for many of the women I know. And some of the men I know too. But that’s not fair. I’ll let you come up with your own take on your life. Today we shall talk about balance. See I’ve got pretty good balance. I can do some of those cool one legged stands in yoga and I’ve met few switchbacks I can’t manage. But as we all know all it takes is a pebble in the road, or a sneeze or sometimes something bigger to throw us off track. So today we shall talk about balance.
One of my fav people said to me recently, “How do you do it with three kids?”. He was referring to (I think) the article writing, the coaching, the cooking, the (pretend) cleaning, the managing three kids and their busy schedules. And here’s the answer for me and I’m betting more than a few of you regardless of gender or family status. I don’t. I don’t do it all. And some of the stuff I do I don’t do super well. Some of it is half-assed. I’ll bring a few bags of groceries in the house but leave the canned goods in the bag on the counter for a few days. I have to re-wash laundry that I leave in the washer all of the time. I’ve neglected my own personal hygiene to get another ride in. And I sometimes go 48 hours before using a brush on my hair. And sometimes I want to give my kids soy sauce packets for their protein source in their lunch.
I can’t do it all. I can’t even do some of it at 100%. I have to choose. And my family comes first except for their lunches. Every day I look at the time I have and make choices. Some days it’s clear and some days it’s like looking through a window cleaned with fake Windex. Not clear. Not easy. I have an arthritic condition that almost demands movement and exercise. And I have a family and a house to manage. But there are things that aren’t so important. I leave the dishes all of the time. My car sometimes looks like a chicken coop. I know just how long I can leave the unopened mail on the counter. I know when it’s time to take a break. And I know that there are times when all it takes is a light wind to knock me out of balance. Like during ‘cross season. My husband calls that time of year ‘The Cheri Show.’
Here’s the take-away. No one does it all. I don’t care what you think. Something falls through the cracks. Something doesn’t get done, doesn’t get said, doesn’t get fixed. Part of balance is knowing when to push. When to pull. And when to stop. Good luck as we roll into summer. What a beautiful time. So many great things to do. Re-evaluate and re-negotiate every single day.
And just remember, no one’s doing it all. Give yourself a break.
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