Hi Friends!
This time last year I was all excited about starting 2011. I can't help it--I love beginnings (endings, however, are not my favorite). I had big hopes for 2011; I was going to get it all together in 2011. It was going to be amazing. I spent a whole lot of time deciding what my "One Little Word" was going to be, and I finally chose "Balance". Twenty-Eleven was going to be the year I learned (or at least was aware of my need for) balance. John was all for it. He loved my OLW choice. In fact, he reminded me of my OLW several times during the year whenever I tried to take on too much, or seemed too frazzled. The truth is, I think I did an okay (but not even close to fabulous) job finding balance this year. I narrowed down my volunteering; I stuck with the ones that brought me joy, and dropped the ones that didn't. I let go. I didn't raise my hand for each and every opportunity that came my way.
However...
New opportunities came my way in 2011. Opportunities that were awesome and hard to say no to: a coaching job on Emily's high school team, a teaching position at the Tech, a head coach position with FCYST, an opportunity to help one of my friends who lost his entire high school down in Joplin. Oh, and then there was that "little" family reunion I was chairing with Uncle Ken.
My OLW, "balance" was put to the test in 2011.
Along the way, I used my OLW to help me make choices. Regardless of what John thinks (and he should know...he's been watching me do this for the past 20 years), I do not like running around like a mad woman trying to get everything done. So I said "no" to the FCYST job: I wanted it, but I knew it would take away all my family time. I finished out my position as Staff Appreciation chair at Jack's school. Not because I don't love the teachers at Clayton (they're awesome), but because I had done it for the past two years and knew it was time to let someone else take over. I let go. Really.
I did say "yes" to the coaching job on Emily's swim team, and the job at the Tech. Doing those two new things together at the very same time did tend to create some balance problems. And the fact that my big Joplin fundraiser was the week before the big family reunion created a few balance problems, too. But here's the truth: I do not regret those choices at all. In fact, coaching NHS, teaching at the Tech, planning the Joplin fundraiser and chairing the family reunion were the four very best parts* of 2011. Seriously.
So. I'm not sure that I found perfect balance this year. But I took some steps in the right direction. They might have been baby steps, but they were steps nonetheless. That counts, doesn't it? : )
And now... on to 2012!!
XO,
Vicki
*The other best part of 2011: Christy and Michael's engagement! 2012 is going to be a great year!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment