Balance

Published in Mahomet Citizen
March 3, 2010


So. Here we meet again. If you’ve read the Citizen within the last year, you might have read a few columns I wrote as a guest at the Canary Café. I thoroughly appreciated the chance to write there as I do this opportunity to be a correspondent and columnist.

This opportunity to share the world as I see it, to meet all of you and tell your stories is my dream. When we are kids we have dreams of pursuing careers in the areas we are passionate about. As we get older, our passions change or many of us settle for what will pay the bills or what we feel we have to do. But I believe that there is a passion within all of us, that one thing that tugs at your heart or occupies your mind. The interest that gets under your skin and calls you to come play or pursue a career.

I am a mother of three busy children with different personalities. I get up with them in the morning and make their lunches while I feed them breakfast. I buy groceries and clean the house on a daily basis. We do homework and between shuffling our cars around between this activity and that, we find time to get together and have dinner. I read them stories and kiss each of them before they drift off to sleep. And then I always find myself wishing that there a few more hours (or that I had more energy) in the day to do what I really want to do: write.

I don’t believe that parents intentionally busy themselves through the day just to get the selfless award every night. We want to give our kids all the opportunities in the world so that they will be healthy and balanced, competitive and educated. Most of us make sure that they have everything that they need before we ever look at ourselves.

This is how the last ten years of my life have been. From the time I graduated from college until about a year ago, I’ve been searching for myself among kids. Recently, I’ve taken that look in the mirror and have been asking questions like, Where do they end and where do I begin? How do I pursue my dreams without hindering their growth? Can I balance both?

Being a parent doesn’t begin with the kids waking up in the morning and it doesn’t end with going to work. I believe that part of being an adult is balancing our responsibilities with our dreams. And when it all goes right, fulfilling our responsibilities while living our dreams. Being a stay-at-home mom or dad may be different from being a working mom or dad in many ways, but I think that we all go through times when we feel like we’ve lost ourselves in the day’s work or busyness. It takes hard work to incorporate, balance and pursue your personal interests or career while being a parent, spouse and friend. But it is an essential part of being a healthy and fulfilled person. Each of us is one person with many different titles, which we carry wherever we go.

Being a mom gives me a story. Being a writer gives me a way to share my perspective with you. Being a part of this community gives us common experiences. And being a part of this newspaper gives me a chance to become acquainted with you. While we all have different experiences and circumstances, we all have a story. And the thing is that in more way than one, we may find that our stories are the same. This part of my story starts with me deciding that I can be more than one title at the same time. Where does yours start?