My life has changed a lot over the past few years. A few things have happened that mean for all intents and purposes, my life in 2016 doesn’t really closely resemble my life from 2012.
- I changed jobs. My new job is much more demanding and demands much more of my creative energy than my old job. Though this happened in 2013 and I am more adjusted, I am still left with less time and left creative energy at the end of the day than before. It’s also much more manic than my old job. It is not unusual for me to put in 50-60 hours a couple weeks in a row and then have a couple of less crazy weeks. The feast or famine nature of this is problematic for me because when I’m manically busy at work, there is little time for anything but work and the bare necessities. Then when I’m not manic at work, I’m playing catch-up or, honestly, wondering what to do with myself. Switching gears easily is something I’m trying to improve at.
- The kids have grown. On the surface, this would seem to make things easier and in many ways it does, but it also complicates things. Some complications occur because their lives and persons are much more their own and I always think twice before sharing. Additionally, the logistics are more complicated because their lives are now more complicated. They each participate in scouting, swimming, karate and piano. They both have homework and mandatory reading time. All of this requires at a bare minimum some oversight from me or Matt and can require chauffeur services and volunteering as well.
- Matt’s job has changed. He recently took a more rewarding, but more demanding role at his same company and as a result, he travels a bit more and works slightly longer hours. This just leaves us more to cram into fewer outside work hours but doubled.
And what it means also, is that I don’t blog like I used to. And all the good intentions in the world don’t seem to be changing that fact. It also has made it challenging to spend time with Matt, have family time and exercise regularly. So I’m working to restructure my days. And while blogging isn’t at the top of the “make time for” list, it’s on there.
I miss it. I miss the nice record of our lives. There’s lots of good stuff. And some not so good stuff. But mostly, good stuff.