I've thought about balance a lot. I've felt guilty about balance a lot. & I think I'm making my peace with balance. The truth is, different seasons require different types of attention. For example, when I think about who I was as a new mother, I know I am a different type of mother now.
The first few years of my children's life were hard....babies require constant attention AND they can't talk to you and tell you what is wrong. So there is a lot of guessing, deductive reasoning, and asking seasoned mother's advice. Is it constipation, gas, hunger, overstimulation, tiredness, a common cold or perhaps an ear infection?
I knew, as did my amazing and supportive husband, that I wanted to build my career at the same time. Working within my profession was apart of balance for me. I have learned, its difficult to show up for others when I am empty. This meant I needed a very flexible work schedule AND Mark and I needed an awesome support system. & we have one out of this world.
This period of my life was a blur. 4 babies in 5 years. I left state employment after the first two children, worked as a Diversity Professional with our third baby, and also built a successful law practice with our fourth. Mark, worked as a law clerk, worked as a public defender and when our last son was born I convinced Mark to leave the public defender's office so we could work together in our own law practice. I loved this time period of our lives and our careers. Mark and I saw one another throughout the day, covered one another's cases if needed, and then went home together to begin the second part of our day with the babies.
We also had other commitments that included the church, community organizations, and showing up for extended family. This does not include a few international trips we were able to squeeze in...did I mention we have an amazing support system?
Every season requires different energy and attention and I pray for wisdom to understand when the season is changing and how to redistribute my time and attention. In Jesus name, Amen.
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