I balance, I juggle and I try to stay afloat.  People often tell me “You have to keep your life in balance.” Of course I immediately picture myself juggling colorful balls with my hands and feet.  Keeping your life in balance…..  What exactly does that mean anyway?  I suppose the answer would depend upon who you ask.

I know I would like to keep my priorities straight and devote more time to things that are important to me. But if I were truly to do that, I’d be with my family 24/7 and I’m not sure they could handle me 24/7.

My work is not at the top of my priorities but I am in a committed relationship with my job.  That means if I want to earn money I have to be productive.  Occasionally that means working through the weekend or too many late nights in a row.  People always tell me “You work too much!”  I agree at times that’s true.  As long as I choose to stay in this job, I am obligated to do it to the best of my ability.  That doesn’t mean I’m not counting the days until I retire!

Writing is one of my favorite activities and pulls me in quickly.  When I am in writing mode, I wake up thinking through story lines, dreaming about them.  I sit at the computer creating every free minute.  I am the same way when I am reading. Thoughts of any other activity are banished.  But if I get derailed and lose focus, I’m done for the short term.

Exercise, I know it’s important and I enjoy working out.  I’m not always thrilled with the process but I love the end results.    I like feeling energized after a workout and I enjoy keeping fit but when I don’t stay vigilant, or have to miss a week, I find myself refocused on the next big thing.

And there’s nutrition.  Everyone likes to weigh in on that one.  Gluten free, high protein, low carb, no carb, vegetarian or carnivore.  My food plan is pretty basic.  Keep things as natural as possible.  I avoid red meat, white meat, well pretty much all meat, but I do eat seafood and eggs.

I know I’m not good at balancing my competing agendas.  If I notice I’ve been slipping and eating too much processed food or having too many treats, I back off and switch to salads, eliminate carbs and sweets and begin to worry about my weight.

When I start an exercise program, I’m all in.  I know I can easily overdo. I immediately increase my intensity and frequency of exercise.

And work is just, well work!  I like my job most days, but am not always good at delegating or walking away as often as I should.

So yes I can easily become obsessive and am often out of balance by many people’s standards.  But, I love my life!  I am happy and contented most days.  So while I may not balance my activities, I am aware of it and will compensate next week, or next month or maybe when I retire.

I am not going to worry about it yet……  Maybe all this balance stuff is just too highly overrated!