Be in it

The Bloomin’ Blog has been silent. I wish that I could say I’ve been on an island relaxing and haven’t been able to access the internet, but alas, this island I’m on is life.

May is always busy, but this May is exceptionally so. Lots of demands and intriguing opportunities,  which require my creative energy and attention to proposal writing and networking. And then there are the really important May events—the turning of chapters for my family.

Patrick, our 18-year-old son, will graduate May 27th. Mary Charlotte will be promoted from the 8th grade to high school—and here, that milestone seems to be the equivalent of a prom, complete with the quest for promotion-worthy attire. For some reason, these events bring out the same kind of nesting instinct I had when I was ready to deliver a child. I guess I’m ready to deliver my children to the next phase of their lives, so it’s time to paint rooms that looked great last week and to rearrange living spaces that have functioned well for years. And, I feel the need to bleach the shelves in the pantry. I think I read too many Laura Ingalls Wilder books where each major event in the household involved boiling, bleaching and beating (rugs).

All I’m writing to say is, here I am. I’m in an interesting balancing act trying to stay on top of the demands of my life—personal and professional—as if they are downhill skis. What I know is this—to make a turn as you ski downhill, you have to shift your weight to one ski (don’t ask which one, I just do it…most of the time). Our lives are all about shifting balance and responding to turns. While it may be satisfying to achieve a perfectly balanced state, its duration is short, as you will pick up speed for a glorious instant right before you run into major trouble. You have to be willing to adjust your stance. To respond, rather than demand.

So, I’m off to go finish cleaning my kitchen. Then I’ll put the freshly-painted room back together that is currently strewn all over the rest of our house. Maybe later today, I’ll get something great accomplished professionally. Or maybe I won’t. It will be what it is and I will do my best to practice a bit of peace and gratitude in it.

Let me know where you are in your life today. And let me know if you read Little House on the Prairie!

Here’s to seeds planted in every area of our lives that yield peace, beauty and goodness.

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