For me, the challenge is balance. Perhaps my goals are too lofty. Perhaps I have too many things I’d like to accomplish in life. I want a happy family. I have a job that I adore. And I’m a writer. Each of these things is a full-time pursuit. Sometimes my scale tips towards the side of family and we are wrapped up in lots of projects and fun endeavors, and I have little time to write. Sometimes I lean far into the side of work with my head full of projections and prospects and sales goals. I don’t think I’ve had a time in the last decade where I spent too much time on writing. But in the last little week or so, I’ve been trying to stay at least consistent.

Yesterday in an article on She Writes, by Rebecca Scott, there was a discussion on the issues of stay at home moms and depression. I have been a partial stay at home mom in the past, meaning I was at home working on our family business and often felt I didn’t do either job well. I loved her article and this morning, I thought I would delve into it again.

Lately, I’ve been learning to meditate. This is helping me with balance. I am reading a little book, meditation: The 13 Pathways to Happiness, by Jim Ryan. One of the ways he described meditation was to liken it to an Orange. He said if you only ever are involved in the tasks of life, the to-do lists, the laundry, sweeping, grocery shopping, the endless lists of things we do every day – you are only experiencing life like the outside of the Orange – the bitter, hard part. If you take the time to get quiet and still, and make the effort to open yourself to the inside of life, the juicy, tasty part of the Orange, you will get to the part where your soul is breathing deeply and rejuvenating.

That may be over-simplistic, but I started trying it. I get up in the morning now and spend a few minutes in quiet meditation, and it stills me. It lifts me. And it gives me better focus and joy for the rest of my day.

I wish I’d been at this point in my life when I had tiny babies at home, and I felt so distant from other grown-ups. Being able to spend time with my soul and spirit would have been so helpful. They should have Mommy Meditation groups. I bet they do, and I didn’t know to look there.

As I’m beginning again my path as a Blogger, I look forward to connecting with other writers, moms and business women. Or women who fit into one of those categories, or a few of them. I don’t really care to label myself too heavily. I see myself as a woman, and I think we are all complex beauties who carry our burdens in various stages of grace.

I would love to hear your comments or thoughts on this crazy balancing act we all attempt. I’m off to a fantastic day. I hope you are too!

Photo from here