Ep #7: Finding Balance as a Mom

I’m not always balanced but I’m really good at NOT being balanced.   Being a well rounded person has always been a goal of mine. I remember even as a young girl I would make “to do” lists that always incorporated mind, body, and soul. Now fast forward to my life as a mom of 4 pushing 40 I’ve realized just how far I’ve come in my quest for balance. We all “wannabe” balanced right?    Being balanced is like being perfect, ain’t no mama got time for that.    I’ve spent most of my motherhood years checking things off my list, as if life were a mathematical equation. Mind + Body + Soul = Balance. If I do A, B, and C, then I’ll be the perfectly balanced mom.    Things never happened that way. For example I would exercise, eat a salad, say a prayer, read some scripture, spend a little time developing a talent like learning the guitar, clean the house, play with my kids, and make dinner.  Day after day after day I would follow this simple mechanical formula. I thought I would feel complete, and balanced, like I was doing everything God has asked of me. Instead my checked off tasks felt completely futile and mundane. There was no passion or excitement. I needed a challenge, a purpose, a “WHY”.    I didn’t realize that my quest for feeling balanced and at peace would take much more than just mindlessly doing clear-cut tasks. It would take a lot of brain power to get to where I wanted to be.   I discovered the missing link. My problem was I didn’t quite grasp the “mind” part of balance. And now I believe that balance actually STARTS with the mind. A healthy mind breeds a healthy body, and spirit.