Gabriela Pereira talks about being out of balance to find our equilibrium. I know for a long time I had a long sarcastic laugh for those who talk about "work/life balance" as I don't know if there is ever a time you can just stand still in a shifting reality. Last year I shifted a lot: I had both my older kids move out (not necessarily by their choice) and found myself with just my Little Dude at home. I found that nothing tied me to the house where I spent the last six years getting both children through high school, a pregnancy, a grandchild, and a job and a new relationship. So in the fall my girlfriend and I decided to move in together with Little Dude and look, more shifting!Sometimes life requires your full attention and writing needs to move aside to make room. Other times writing is a space apart from reality, a safe haven where you can breathe freely and recharge, so you can face reality with a little more dignity or strength.Remember: it's not about choosing writing OR real life.
Both of these things can coexist, though there will often be an ebb and flow to which one takes precedence at any given time. Honoring reality means realizing that there is room enough for both things in your life.Prompt: Tell a story about a time when you had to honor your reality.
So what is truly in balance? I work, support a young child, am living with another adult for the first time in almost ten years, and trying to figure out what I really want to do next. Writing has always teased the corners of my soul for decades, and the truth is sometimes I am just too tired to want to do something else. Yet I cannot ignore it, just like I see the other things that feed my spirit, reading and knitting and plants and colors, starting to make themselves known to me again. We all have the same 24 hours in a day, and it is up to me to do the things I want to do.
So now is the time to honor my reality, to get my sea legs on the moving currents, and just follow.