Balance

So, I was going to post this last night, but this weekend was busy.

First was Saturday, when I went to the mall and bought some much needed, and very comfortable shoes (and each pair is more than I have ever spent on shoes in my whole life, and probably more than 5 times more than I usually spend on shoes, but they were so comfortable my feet refused to settle for anything less...)  I got back later than I thought I would, and stayed up after bedtime making banana bread and scones (I can't remember the last time I baked, and it felt good!)

Then Sunday was church, and then the usual crowd came over and I didn't get started on my school work until 5.  Also, it is very difficult to concentrate on grading papers when there is an adorable baby at you knee demanding to be picked up.  So I got most of that done after V. went to bed, which was close to 9.  At 10 I was finally finished, and I could have written here (let's be authentic shall we) but I was tired and just wanted to watch the last half of Avengers, lie on the couch, and make a candy cane so pokey it could stab someone (or at least my tongue).

So, this seems like the perfect time to talk about balance.  And maybe being authentic about balance in my life...

My coworker is amazing.  She comes to school every Monday detailing the long list of huge things she has accomplished during the weekend.  She gets up early, is active all day with 4-H shows, and her farm, and her schoolwork, etc. and goes to bed at 1 or later each day.  This repeats during the school week as well, where she is always shuttling kids to and from something (not during teaching hours) and rarely does she talk about having down time.  Each day she comes in, talking about how busy her night is, and to hear her tell it (and I believe her) she only gets about 4 hours of sleep each night and no just sit down and relax time between.

I find myself constantly making excuses for myself.  I tell her I didn't have time to finish grading papers, because I was so busy, when the reality was that at 9:00 I got so tired and bored that I watched tv for 45 minutes to decompress, then I went to bed around 10.  It feels like I am cheating if I tell her that I got 6 hours of sleep.  I compare myself to her all the time, and always feel like I come up short.  She is Super Girl and I am an extra.

But that is not the reality.  The reality is that I need to lead a life of Balance.  Not Balance for her, but Balance for me.  I need about 1/2 and hour to an hour of NO WORK time before bed, or I won't sleep.  And I need sleep.  I know what I need, and I endeavor to give those things to myself, but I also need to be authentic about it as well.  I can't feel afraid to tell the truth.

We have one and a half weeks until report cards.  That means that students will be turning in a crazy amount of work this week.  God help me keep these things in balance: Work, Family, Friends, and Me, so I can effectively do your work in all aspects of my life.