In our house there is an eleventh commandment.
“Thou shalt attend to the needs of thy family and to the needs of thy household before satisfying thy blogging addiction.”
I wish I could say I faithfully abide by this covenant day in and day out, but alas I don’t. In fact, lately I have been wondering if I haven’t accidentally rewritten it to say:
“Thou shalt attend to thy blogging addiction before satisfying the needs of thy family and thy household.”
I know I am not the only blogger who struggles with what I have dubbed The Blogging Syndrome. In fact, within the last few days both Julie of Mental Tesserae and Kim of Ramblings have written the most eloquent of posts pertaining to this topic. I can’t even come close to expressing and describing things the way they do and therefore I am not even going to attempt to try. However, what they have written has caused me to think a lot about what my priorities are.
Deep down I will tell you without a doubt that my two highest priorities in life are living the gospel of Jesus Christ and developing my relationship with Him and then loving and serving my family. But does it show? Are my actions consistent with my thoughts? Why then do I so often find myself begrudgingly attending to the needs of my children? Why am I always exasperatedly exclaiming, “I don’t have time for this!” when Cory needs his messy diaper changed as we are rushing out the door or as Keri needs some burning question answered while I am in the middle of reading a blog?
I think my priorities might be a little out of whack, but that doesn’t mean blogging has to be thrown out the window. In fact, M. Russell Ballard has boldly stated:
“Many people … have difficulty finding the time for sufficient rest, exercise and relaxation. We must schedule time on our daily calendars for these activities if we are to enjoy a healthy and balanced life.”
I don’t know about you, but blogging is definitely something that helps me relax and it also helps me stay emotionally sane and stable.
The key, though, is seeking the optimum balance. Right now I need to take a step back and reevaluate what my priorities are. I need to create some quiet time to ponder and reflect upon where I am going in my life and what I need to do to get there. Even Christ, the perfect exemplar, “withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed.” (Luke 5:16) I need to do the same thing on a regular basis so I can keep what is most important to me in the forefront of my mind.
Consequently I want to take the challenge Richard G. Scott has extended by answering the following two questions:
1. What are my highest priorities to be accomplished while on earth?
2. How do I use my discretionary time? Is some of it consistently applied to my highest priorities?
I then want to write my answers down and reread them often to make sure I am using my time wisely. After all, M. Russell Ballard brilliantly proclaims:
“Often the lack of clear direction and goals can waste away our time and energy and contribute to imbalance in our lives. A life that gets out of balance is much like a car tire that is out of balance. It will make the operation of the car rough and unsafe. Tires in perfect balance can give a smooth and comfortable ride. So it is with life. The ride … can be smoother for us when we strive to stay in balance. Why not eliminate from our lives the things that clamor for and consume our thoughts, feelings and energies without contributing to our reaching that goal? … Live every day with joy in your heart.”
I so desperately want to live life with joy in my heart and I want it to be expressed outwardly as well. I want others to know that I am happy. This means I can do all of the following: lovingly take care of my children, kindly listen to the needs of my spouse, diligently keep my house in order, and peacefully relax and enjoy blogging … I merely need to find and then keep the right and delicate balance.
Whenever you feel like you can jump in, I’m hosting a new meme and I’d love to have you participate… come by and leave your link if you want! http://snpnmnmi.wordpress.com/
hmmm. It’s so true. That elusive balancing act. I’ve been thinking about it to. And I think it comes down to maintaining an eternal perspective. Easier said than done! But carry on!
Finding that balance is the key, but it is very difficult to ascertain. I am trying to find this balance between home, work, and blogging/computer time, but it has been a work in progress. I pray that you will find that balance that you and we all need! Blessings!
The siren song of blogging really is strong, but you have great choices and I know you’ll figure out how to get the balance right over time. It’s the old “choosing between two right” and figuring out which is the correct choice right now. Just don’t beat yourself up too much in the process. These things don’t happen over night.
Okay, how ironic is it that just as I opened the comment window Emma began to cry. Amazing post, babe. I definitely have a lot of thinking and praying to do as well. ~big hugs~ And I’m turning off the computer now.
Yet once again, another post to remind me that I need to not blog at the expense of my children. I’ve noticed me shooing the kids away or finding something else for them to do so that I can blog, when I could just get up a bit earlier or do it during haptime. Thanks. You are good for my soul!
I feel like somedays my kids take the way back burner. It’s sad, so that’s why I am always grateful for a new day to be a little better. It’s always nice to hear from spiritual giants that we should not be martyrs! We can take time for ourselves, too! Thanks for the awesome post!
Well, you certainly are in the place a lot of us have been. It’s such a struggle to keep the balance because blogging is so much fun. I’ve decided that the fear about letting the blogging slip down the list of priorities is that we are afraid that if we aren’t visible every day, we will lose readers. I think I’ve come to terms with that idea, and it doesn’t affect my thinking anymore. My readers and the blogs I enjoy reading will still be there if I miss a day or two. It’s sort of a freeing realization.
I hope you can sort things out peacefully for yourself.
Beautiful post. I’m having many of the same thoughts as I am currently serving a mission in the translation department of the LDS Church. I’ve decided that I can read a post or two when I need a break from proofreading, but I can’t write a post during mission hours which are 7:30 to 4:00 not counting commute time. (Another 3 hours) I’ve enjoyed your comments on Julie Q’s blog. May I add you to my list?
Pingback: Last Week... « Ruby’s Mom
Yes, I agree. Nicely written–and I was checking in to see how your weekend went
“Thou shalt attend to thy blogging addiction before satisfying the needs of thy family and thy household.”
Gospel according to me!
Amen! I think balance is something we all struggle with. I went through this same thing a while back and finally have things under control. When the kids are asleep, I can blog. During Dora, I can blog. Otherwise, I play.
You are so right. In fact, my baby is fussing right now, so I must go. But, i’ll be back!
Excellent post! I really like the quotes you used, they apply so well. I can’t wait for General Conference this weekend to hear more words of wisdom. . .hopefully it will also be a computer free weekend.
Extraordinary Mom, thanks for this post. It was exactly what I needed to read today as I have been having the same questions running through my mind. I have found myself “hiding” from my responsibilities in my blog time. Your post and quotes were right on.
Pingback: Last Week « An Empty Canvas