I made a big realization about myself last week. So, I thought I would write about it and clarify my thoughts for myself.
My son was away on a 3 day retreat for the 9th graders in his school. It was meant to be an ice-breaker so the students get to connect with each other at the beginning of their 4 year high school journey in a relaxed environment. Great- right?
Anyways, while my son was away, and I had all day to do what I wanted and needed to do, I did just that- I worked- on my art, on my new website (you can check it out here ), and social media posts for my art business.
It was a very productive time.
Since I did not have to break up for the day at 3:30-3:45 (the time he comes home from school), I just kept going, and got a whole lot done.
Without taking much of a break…
Needless to say, my body was super tired from sitting in front of the screen.
My neck and shoulders felt stuck, and my eyes itchy and dry from staring at the computer for hours in deep concentration.
And more so, because this is not at all something I do in my general life.
But…
I also let go of a lot of good habits and practices I have developed over the years.
For example, with my son not around, and me not finishing up in the late afternoon meant I did not get my usual 4:30-5:30 resting time when I have tea and a snack, read blogs, catch up on my book, and meditate, before I hit the kitchen to prepare for dinner and next-day lunches.
With no restriction on my time, there was also no structure on my time…
And I kept working. It was great for getting lots of stuff done, but bad for my health, and without the usual self-care time, I did not feel relaxed the rest of the evening.
I did not do my daily drawing. I did not log my habits as I usually do- because I did not do them.
Everything just fell to the wayside…
It was easy to give up on the good practices that I have made a part of my life.
It was easy to override the harder path to stop and breathe.
So the realization in all of this was that:
Having my son around is actually good for ME!
He keeps me grounded in good habits.
He makes me want to be better.
He makes me want to be a role model of the right priorities in life.
And that makes me better in turn.
If left to my own devices, without anyone watching me, I am the kind of person I do not care to be in my ideal world.
My son makes me a better human.
He makes me strive for better things in life.
He enriches my life more than I ever thought children could for their parents. Not just the joy their presence brings, but by becoming better humans themselves!
After that realization, I don’t know if I will give up being the workaholic when he’s not around (since I do like to get a lot more done with focus),