Something profound happened to me this week, so in lieu of promoting my new book or discussing writing techniques, I’m going to share my story.
My daughter is a tennis player. She’s been battling an injury, but she keeps on going. She’s supposed to wear a boot when she isn’t playing, and tape when she is, but she won’t. It’s inconvenient, so she just deals with the pain. She won her first match this week, 8-2, but to do it, she suffered. I’m concerned she might be doing herself more harm by not sitting out and resting, but she insists it’s worth it. I’m not so sure.
My son is a football player. He was doing great in his scrimmage this week, until he was blindsided. There was a helmet-to-helmet collision, and he lay unresponsive on the field for the longest five seconds of my life. When he stood, he wobbled and was led back to the bench. He’s now battling a concussion. His only desire is to get back to the game. I’m more worried about him healing.
My dogs were outside this week and got into a pool chemical bottle that the pool maintenance people left out. I saw them on the patio, laying beside a puddle and a chewed bottle. Our vet rushed me out of his office with medicine, not even giving me the time to pay. He felt time was of the essence. My dogs kept spitting the medicine out, and of course they went right over to the puddle when I let them out again. They’re all about instant gratification, preservation-instinct be damned. I’m just worried their quest for fun will ultimately harm them.
Thank God nothing happened to my husband this week. I don’t think I could have taken the stress.
I have a lot of lives dependent on me. I don’t care what my “job title” is. Wife, mother, and pet owner take priority every time. As does daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, aunt, friend… I have lots of titles.
Unfortunately, one of those titles is not Ultimate Decision Maker. If it was, everyone would listen to me and there would be fewer problems in my life. (Of course, that would probably add a lot to my plate, and who needs that? Not me.) Maybe I would just like to be the mom/wife/dog owner who is obeyed, at least when she has everyone’s best interests at heart. But I digress…
People can say all they want that to be successful in any endeavor, a person has to put certain things aside and just work. And that includes relationships.
I say if you want to be truly successful, you have to nurture your relationships. They are what make you who you are. (tweet this)
The rest will take care of itself.
If you want to be a success, take the time to celebrate the people in your life. Spend quality time with them. Even at the expense of some “work” time.
You never know when something will happen to rob you of that chance.
As hard as this week was, I am blessed that no permanent damage was done to my loved ones. I’m not going to wait until there is a permanent issue to put them first on my priority list.
I hope you can say the same.
I am happy to hear that everyone is doing well. As with most women, I wear multiple hats; job, family, pets, writing, friends, the list is endless. It is a delicate balance between everything, but I firmly believe that family should be first. The times that I spend with my family have strengthened me as a writer and often inspire my writing. I agree with Staci and recommend that everyone make time to spend with those most important to them. Those times are priceless.
The military says God, Country, Family. I have to say for me it’s God, Family, Everything Else. I think we do wear too many hats sometimes. It’s just a matter of finding the one that’s most appropriate at any given time. Thanks for your comment.
Controlling – helping – supporting – allowing – observing? Where on the continuum should we be at any point in time? How much caring is enough but not too much? It’s often a tough call for me. Thanks for your thoughts.
It’s often a tough call for me, too. When I’m writing, I feel I should be with family. Editing? Shouldn’t I be doing housework? Enjoying some quaility time with loved ones… I should probably be reading. It’s an endless cycle of guilt. But this week kind of gave me clearer perspective. Some things just have to wait. I’m guessing when the big things come up in your life, you’ll know how to prioritize. Just don’t forget the important things when they aren’t front and center. Thanks for dropping by.
NICE reminder to handle relationships with great caring and love. Nice reminder to enjoy ALL the hats and titles each of us own.
Thanks, Nancy. I felt like I needed 50 heads this week for all my hats. That’s why I took a step back. Hopefully others can learn from my week.
Great post. My son is playing football for the first time this year and I’m a worried mama. Hope your son and daughter both heal nicely. I know about trying to juggle everything and still be there for those you love. I’m a Accountant, Children’s Minister and Author, on top of mom, wife, daughter, sister, and aunt. For so long I let everything else take my time, but the first of this year I made a pact with myself. I promised to take more time with my family. I cut my hours and am careful not to add on responsibility that will take away from my family more than usual.
Good luck with everything 🙂
Thank you for the good wishes. I’ll pass them on to all the ailing in my home. I think women are uber-jugglers. It’s great that you’ve decided to prioritize. We could all benefit from doing so. Good luck to you, too.