Sometime
Sometimes we need to turn it all off and close the door to the world outside. We need to stay in pajamas ALL day and not shower. Sometimes we need not even walk out that front door for an entire day! Crazy, I know. It seems to me like we do way too much. We try to accomplish a lifetime of achievements in a ten year period and when those achievements haven’t quite been met, we turn inward and question our lives and the choices we’ve made.
I read this tonight on Stephanie Klein’s blog, Greek Tragedy:
I’m getting tired of keeping up. I wonder when I’ll get to the point where I can stop working so hard. Networking, marketing, alliances. It’s all thinking, and while it can be very exciting, in the long spread of things, none of it matters all that much. Not to any of us. No matter how sweet the offer, how exciting the journey, or the opportunity, even when seen as a chance and an adventure, sometimes “someday” never comes, and life down the line doesn’t necessarily get easier.
Funny how overwhelming life can be sometimes- even the simple stuff becomes difficult and mundane. And, unfortunately, it only becomes harder when kids come into the picture. Stephanie hit the nail on the head:
It’s harder when you have kids, too, because then it’s not only a choice you’re making between doing work, or not doing work. It becomes another choice you’re making. When you choose to work, it also means you’re choosing NOT to spend time with your children. That’s the choice you’re making. And then I walk around feeling the self-imposed guilt, no matter what I choose.
I can relate well to her post and wonder when it will become easier? There is so much expected of women nowadays. When will we learn to just go with the flow instead of pushing so hard for achievement? When will we stop feeling those horrendous pangs of guilt when we choose to walk out the door to go to a job that takes us away from our kids? And when will we, as women and mothers, feel accomplished when we choose to close that door to become a stay-at-home mama? Will we ever be at a point in our crazy, hectic lives when we can look back with pride and say that we did it and loved every minute of it? What are your thoughts? How do we handle these decisions with grace and style?
April 14th, 2008 at 9:10 am
I think that whether you work or you stay home, you will be missing out on something. It’s an unfortunate truth that there is not really an ideal solution. I think when we start acknowledging that there are cons to both side, we can maybe feel a little more comfortable with the choices we make and the choices other people make.
April 18th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
I have Stephanie’s blog on my google reader…I’m also mom to twins and the work/family balance has been tough to navigate. In fact, I’ve failed miserably.
I don’t relate to many of her posts (too East coast fancy for me) but this one really stuck with me.
I get so exhausted trying to decide who to disappoint. I just want to say eff it and just play in my backyard with my boys and scrap everything else.