Saturdays are for family days.
But for a long time, they weren't. Saturdays were for working, writing, and research to finish my graduate programs and to climb the "ladder of success."
There's a famous quote by Thomas Merton that says, "People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success, only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall."
That was me. I was climbing up the wrong wall.
I thought success was earning the awards, accomplishments, and a great career that would make my parents and family proud. I worked hard to become a highly accomplished professional in my field...and I was terribly losing at work-life balance.
I learned this the hard way when I finally earned my doctorate degree after a four-year journey and the next week, I was looking for the next box to check. I just couldn't rest, and I kept asking the relentless question of "What next?"
That was my wake up call.
I was not going to live my life chasing the wrong thing! Fortunately, I learned to "switch walls" early enough to avoid regret in my latter years. Now that I'm a wife and mom, there is absolutely nothing more important to me than time with my family. While I am a higher education administrator and business owner who loves what I do, my primary role, passion, and commitment are to (God and) my family first. Everything else is a distant second.
With all that's going on, life certainly gets busy. I saw a meme on social media (see below), and for a second, I thought that was me! 🤣
Then I got myself togetha’ and said, “I’m good. God's got me."
You don't have to do it all or have it all together all the time. Sometimes, it's okay not to cook and just feed the kids chicken nuggets, have a few dishes in the sink, and eat a slice a cake. 😂
Don't try to become "magic mom", "super dad", or the "perfect person." Stop comparing yourself to a non-existent level of perfection that nobody's ever attained anyway. Like Daniel Tiger says, "Do YOUR best. Your best is the best for you." (Yeah, I just quoted a cartoon, and I get tired of watching PBS Kids too! 😂)
When you "understand the assignment", you'll realize that a meaningful life is about the people you love, how you live, and the way you give.
Be intentional about balancing your life now to avoid regret later. Prioritize what and who are important, and live richly every day.
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