Balance

With each day that passes I can’t help but take account more and more the balance it takes to live a peaceful and fulfilling life. The career you choose, the way you manage time, the prioritization of your personal hobbies and family. They all require differing levels of time and it is different for everyone. I am finding day in and day out that the career piece is losing every time when it comes to my family, personal health and all around time. It’s not that the career is losing, meaning I don’t want to have a job or a career. It is losing in regard to time. My current job demands I am in the seat (physically visible) for 9 hours a day. And that includes a 30 minute commute each way. So we are talking 10 hours of a day are spoken for before you even get to assert balance. This just doesn’t do. Especially when you are an effective and efficient worker. I come to work every day and legitimately knock out all the tasks I am responsible for within the first 2-3 hours. Then I spend the rest of the day simply watching email and waiting for anything else that may come my way. It would make so much since to me for this time to be given back to manage as I see fit. Not without regard to work, but with the whole picture in mind.
Unfortunately, that is not how my current line of work operates. So I am left to discern how to balance the time I do have the ability to affect. Between getting enough sleep, to attending to my physical fitness, and making sure our family is eating well and fueling our bodies properly. I see too often the vast majority of my coworkers letting all the previously stated completely fall off when the work organization takes over. As for me, thank goodness for a great teammate and partner in life. My husband and I are a pretty awesome team. I have to say, after 5 months without him (per his deployment), I am evermore grateful for how we tackle life. We have our routines, but we know how to be flexible. We communicate often and frequent. Our battle rhythm is high and exciting!
So I guess the point I am getting at is that balance is an effort in all facets of life. It’s important to know what you can affect and what you cannot in the way of time and make adjustments as you see they are needed (ie. I am making a career shift in 10 months!!). I make sure I stay engaged with how I am feeling so I can best communicate to my teammate and partner in life what I need. Only then, am I able to operate at full capacity to give back to him and our family. And boy is our family thriving! We are blessed. Thank you Lord for your guiding hand and the balance you help us manage everyday J