The Great Balancing Act

My 8th-grade graduate/gymnast:
Balancing in Santa Monica

Last night my daughter graduated from 8th grade. I could go on and on about my ambivalent feelings concerning this. First of all, I'm super proud of her. She's such a smart, kind, hardworking, lovely young lady. But I also can't believe she's as old as she is. Didn't she just start kindergarten? How is it possible that she's starting high school in August?!?

Anyway, yesterday my mom gave her the book Oh the Places You'll Go by Dr. Seuss, which is one of my favorites. And at the ceremony, they read the quote about "having shoes on your feet" and being the one who "decides where you go" from the book. I love that, but my favorite Oh the Places You'll Go quote is:

So be sure when you step

Step with care and great tact.

And remember that life's 

A Great Balancing Act. 

For some reason that quote makes me well up every time I read it or hear it or even think of it.

I love the first part, because care and tact are really important but rarely discussed qualities. I might be a little too careful and too tactful sometimes, but I think too much care and tact is better than not enough.

However, it's balancing that I wanted to write about today.

I'm in a phase of life where balancing is necessary, constant, exhausting, and oh-so-worthwhile.

I came back from my trip to Baltimore and New York feeling so focused and motivated about my creative endeavors. I couldn't wait to write, and record, and edit my writing, and edit my audio, and record YouTube videos of excerpts from DoD 2, and make a YouTube video using writings and photos from my two trips to Tanzania, and set up a Google+ account, and blog more, and tweet more, etc., etc., etc.!

That fire hasn't dimmed but other pulls on me are now competing for my time and attention:

• My daughter graduating and all the hoopla associated with that plus her busy gymnastics practice schedule. 
• My son finishing up elementary school and the baseball season. 
• Simply wanting to hang out with my kids, because I love being with them and the years are zooming, and soon they'll be all grown up and no longer at home. 
• Wanting to spend some date-like time with my husband, and it's tough to squeeze that in when we're so busy with work and family stuff. 
• Wishing to just chill and read and rest. (I swear I'm a type B personality trying to live a type A lifestyle!)

Balancing. Constantly balancing everything!

I love my writing and audiobook work. I love my family and all that's necessary to take care of them. I want to do both wholeheartedly with my best attention.

And I think I manage pretty well in both areas.

But it's a "Great Balancing Act," no doubt about it!