When I was younger, I used to bite my nails because of fear or anxiety. They’d bleed, become infected and generally look terrible. My grandma, a farmer’s wife, used to put black salve on them to help with the infection. As I grew older, I learned better coping mechanisms for dealing with fear and anxiety such as prayer, talking with others, and refocusing my perspective. And my nails grew. Because of my profession, I need to keep my nails short, but they’re still trimmed, neat, and polished when the mood strikes. However, yesterday, I found myself picking at a nail fragment on my ring finger. I kept tugging on it until it pulled free. This morning, I have an “owie” (I work with small children, so that’s a normal part […]
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Finding Balance With Writing & Life: Learning to Delegate
The summer after I graduated high school, I worked as a waitress at a local family restaurant that stayed open 24 hours. During a particularly busy rush after the bars closed at 2 a.m., I maneuvered through a crowded dining room, carrying a large oval tray above my head loaded with hot food. I approached the customers’ table and started serving their meals. A rowdy gentleman, who had consumed large quantities of alcohol, pushed his chair out, slamming it into my back. My knees buckled, but I struggled to keep from face planting in someone’s mashed potatoes while holding onto the heavy tray with the rest of the food. Unfortunately, the balance had shifted on the tray. To my horror, a side order of beef gravy slid and spilled down […]
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Finding Balance With Writing & Life: Getting Organized
About ten years ago, a friend introduced me to FlyLady at www.flylady.net, whose practices helped me learn how to manage and organize my household. With time, practice and patience, I managed to juggle my family, my business and other responsibilities without stressing out. When we are trying to balance family, work, life and writing, it can be a juggling act. Many times, we see others handle their responsibilities with grace and feel we’re all alone. But you’re not alone. The key to my household and business management was getting organized. The same goes with my writing. Now I’m keeping track of two demanding careers, managing my family, maintaining church responsibilities and finding time to take care of myself. I needed to designate an office space in my house. For years, […]
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Finding Time My husband was recently talking to someone about me, and I was in the vicinity. No, I wasn’t eavesdropping! It’s not considered eavesdropping if you’re in the same room talking to other guest, is it? He talked about what a “planner” I was. And it is true. I love to plan and to organize. Just ask my kids or close friends. Want a list? Alena has one. One for groceries One for cleaning the house, daily, weekly and quarterly. One for closet organization. A chore list by child, by day, by week. You name it, bet I’ve got it! Consequently when I want to set aside writing time I plan all morning or all afternoon. But often, life would intrude and I’d end up frustrated. So here are some […]
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