Balance

In my adult life I've spent a lot of time balancing.

Balancing school and personal life.
Balancing work and graduate school.
Balancing being a teacher and being a wife.
Balancing working and mothering.

Just as I thought I was entering a phase with less to balance, I find myself stretched and divided in new ways. It is more of an internal balance and one that is more difficult to capture in words.

In parenting my daughter, I'm trying to balance compassion and consistent discipline.
In parenting my sons, I'm trying to balance independent play and engaged play.
In my own mind, I'm trying to balance selflessness and the real need to take time for myself.
In my relationship with my husband, I'm trying to balance career support with my desire for us to have quality family time.

Thinking about it all just makes my head spin.

Dr. Seuss said it best when he wrote...

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.