So I made it. Today is the last day of November, which means the last day of my NaBloPoMo challenge. I posted every day this month, and I have that satisfied mission accomplished kind of feeling.
I knew it would be hard, and it was. Although I did feel creatively vacant and/or prohibitively distracted some days, the hardest part was not finding the content, it was finding the time. It’s difficult to make that window of availability happen every single day. There is a discipline to it, as with any creative endeavor, and in that respect, it was a great exercise. It made me pause, and find space, and let the dishes wait.
But sometimes it wasn’t just the dishes that were waiting, it was Daddy too, because our awake alone time together is somewhat limited. He never complained, and he wouldn’t, but I’ve known him long enough to hear his silences too. I know there were times, after the baby was asleep and the kitchen was clean, that he wanted me to sit with him on the couch, instead of at the table in front of my laptop.
Just as we have to work at making time for our creative practice, we have to work at making time for our relationships too, and it can be just as hard. It’s all about balance.
I haven’t found mine yet, but I’m getting there.
You just described the same thing I went through…my family complained that I looked distracted most days…but this month was just a lifesaver for me…at least for this month, I wasn’t an recently unemployed radio dj, I was part of a blogging community…and I just loved it…CONGRATS to you!!!
Thank you! And big Congrats to you too. Always feels good to be part of a community.
My experience of finding balance is that its always in motion. It really matters just to keep the intention in mind, shifting as needed to right yourself when you feel like you’re teetering too much in any one direction, especially those of little value for what nourishes you and your important relationships. I went to a conference the other day on Attachment, Temperament and the Development of the Adult Personality. There was a lot of exciting research involved that has proven how plastic the brain is at any age. It turns out that the most important indicator of health and well being is whether a person has supportive relationships. I am glad you met your creative challenge. It was a worthy goal and even better, you shared it with us. Yay!
Thank you! Sounds like an interesting conference.