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Following Ebbs and Flows of Life’s Seasons

The debate rages on about whether or not working moms (and working parents, for that matter) can have reasonable work life balance. Can we have it all?

I don’t have a strong stance on the answer to that question, except that “all” is definitely in the eye of the beholder. But if it does exist (and probably even if it doesn’t), I believe that life has seasons. Seasons of pursuing something new or different that often feel busy and overwhelming. Seasons of calming down and appreciating the status quo. Seasons when work takes priority and seasons when it takes a back seat to family, personal time and so much more.

At least for me, there’s no perfect allocation of hours each day or week or year that represents “balance”. It’s not about a specific number of compartmentalized hours assigned to each category of life every day or week or month. My work and personal lives are highly intertwined, and I strive to find work life “balance” by honoring the ebbs and flows of life that shift our priorities with time.

The end of 2016 was a season filled with personal commitments as we purchased, renovated and moved into a new house half way across the country from our previous digs in Chicago.

Lately, I’ve been in a season of heavy work loads. The intersection of several large projects has demanded longer hours. I’ve been working at night and on weekends, beyond just my daytime responsibilities, taking away from time I would otherwise spend working on blog-related projects.

By the time I wrapped up work-related tasks, I had little capacity left to focus on the blog. So I took the last week off, writing nothing and sharing just a few snippets on social media. It felt nice, not in a way that made me want to stop writing but only in a way that left me refreshed to get back to writing this week.

So.. after a quiet week last week, I’m pumped to be back.

Do you have seasons in life? Do you have a more regimented distinction between life and work or do you follow the ebbs and flows?

Sweater – Comptoir des Cotonniers (via thredUp) | Jeans – CaBi | Shirt – Everlane | Boots – Cole Haan

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