Sunday Salon: Life balance

It's been a bit of a crazy week, not that that's anything all that new but it highlights some of the difficulties I have in finding a balance that makes me happy and keeps everything in my life plugging along. I have three children living at home. I want to stay at least slightly active myself for health reasons. I need to find time to read and review my books. I volunteer for things I think are important and as a way to give back. And somehow, as much as all of these things are important, I still have a hard time finding a way to get everything in that I want to get in, making for some unnecessary stress.

My children are not young but they still need me, if for nothing else, then to shuttle them around to their activities. The oldest just got his license (a whole other layer of stress right there) but the younger two rely on me. And each of my children has exactly one sport and yet the only day I consistently don't have to drive multiple places for drop off and pick up is Friday evening. Add in the fact that some of the drives are an hour round trip and you can see how much of my evenings quickly slip away. As for my own activity, well, I play tennis anywhere from 1-3 times a week to try and stay at least a little fit but that season is wrapping up and I haven't run in about forever because I feel overwhelmed at the thought of it (although I walked a 5K yesterday with a friend who initially wanted to run it but then had surgery and so needed a slower, less bouncy pace, which worked for untrained me). Reading is an essential part of who I am and reviewing is a labor of love so while I always manage to do the first part of this unless I'm in a reading slump, the second doesn't always happen (and unfortunately very little reviewing has happened lately). Volunteering, well, I've taken on some big jobs this year with various organizations. I definitely think it's important to stay involved in my children's schools so I'm informed and since my children are at two different schools, I have a foot in the door at both of them, which can eat up vast chunks of time.

This week, I had driving duty (per usual) on Monday-Thursday evenings, I had a PTSO meeting at the high school, a tennis match (one was cancelled but not until after I'd arrived and we stood around debating for a while), one orthodontist appointment, two haircuts, a child subbing for another child on a day she normally doesn't work (this is not the driving child, mind you), a really fun soccer event, a 5K, and carting kids to the local amusement park to meet up with friends. This probably doesn't sound so bad but if I wrote down the hours involved, it would suddenly look appalling (I know this because I've done it). And really I'm not looking for sympathy. I think maybe I'm just looking for a nap (and a better way to preserve unscheduled time).

My reading time was more limited than usual but I still managed to take a train ride incognito with HRH the Queen of England, to uncover the truth about a fabled Spanish cheese, and watched as a Jewish woman abandoned by her husband comes into her own in the London art world. Thank heaven for reading allowing me to escape the prosaic everyday of my busy life! So where did your reading adventures take you this past week?