When I hear the word “balance,” images of gravity defying Cirque du Soleil acrobats swing through my mind, not the frenetic pace of my daily work-life mix of mothering my three active young sons while building the Women In the Mix brand, as well as completing my small firm CFO work and volunteer obligations. I have always been Type A. I have always been an over achiever. I have always reached high. But, I fell in love with each one of my sons at birth with such intensity that the ambitious, rational, and pragmatic characterizing parts of my person took a significant step back. It wasn’t so clear how to divide myself. In order to be present in my boys lives primarily through the last eleven years, I make endless detailed to-do lists, I email and text nonstop on the fly, I get up early or stay up late (well, for me that is past 10pm – I have never been a night owl!), I make piles, I shuffle piles, I make resolutions to be even more organized, I vow to accept “good enough” over perfect for the lower priorities. I remind myself that adversity and the unexpected makes the character stronger. And then, I start all over again the next day and like the insane, I do the same things and expect a different result! I am an intelligent accomplished woman who became a mom, I am a Women in the Mix ( WixiiTM)
The Planned Outing
My mix on this wintery Saturday morning is certainly other than planned. Instead of a family ski day at Beaver Creek, I draft this entry while only one son skis with dad, and two sons recuperate with me. The youngest from abdominal surgery after a random bicycle fall a few weeks ago and the oldest from croup – at almost eleven years old! I thought that was a toddler virus! The movie Big Miracle plays in the background as I try to use this unexpected downtime in a productive and fulfilling manner. Productive on work, fulfilling in giving quality time to my two boys. I remind myself often that “the days are long, but the years are short” and that a big, busy life filled with love and challenge is more engaging and meaningful to me, than a more cautious, less engaged one. I don’t want to miss much along the way, so in the spirit of our inaugural Wixii™ Kyoko, I am “leaning into my life,” the wonderful, the challenging, and the messy! Get inspired and lean in with Wixii™ Kyoko!
The Actual Outing
