Balance

I have, over the years, read more articles about balancing career and family than I can count.  And, over the years, I have developed an image of myself as one of those circus clowns who twirls plates on long poles.  When the balancing act works, it is a thing of beauty.  When it doesn't, there's a loud crashing noise and a huge mess.
 
There's a new balance on my mind these days.  It's less about making sure I am where I need to be at any given moment--I know that I will be at kid dropoffs and pickups, because that's my job right now.  The new balance (no sneaker pun intended) is the one I negotiate between the things I do as a currently "at-home" parent and the things I do as a person who intends to be working full time again.
 
What does it mean to balance those two?  It means that, while it's great to "have coffee" with friends, it's important to make sure that at least some of my coffee dates are with work-related contacts.  It means that, while it's great to use my talents and current free time to help out people and causes, it's important to realize that not every minute of my "I'm not working" time is actually free time.  Just as there once needed to be a balance between full time work and parenting, there now needs to be a balance between freelancing/looking for work and enjoying the perks of having home as home base.
 
The plates don't seem quite as high on the poles as they once did, and my fear of dropping them is not as present as it once was.  But I'm still eager to put on the plate-spinning show. And  if so, I'd best keep practicing my balancing act.  Every day.