At an AA meeting this morning the topic of balance was suggested. \u00a0I have always felt that my life was pretty well balanced. \u00a0I exercise. \u00a0I eat well. \u00a0I have many friends, a great relationship with my husband, and my work life is very satisfying. \u00a0However, I am also exploring the idea of working less. \u00a0How would that feel? \u00a0Must I always be busy? \u00a0In past years I’d say yes. \u00a0I needed to be answering the “call” to write and saying yes to all of the invitations I received to facilitate workshops or speak at luncheons or dinners. \u00a0The idea of cutting back has been uncomfortable. \u00a0Who would I be if I weren’t writing or “carrying the message” through workshops or seminars?<\/p>\n
I have been stymied by these questions, actually. \u00a0My “purpose” has been to do what I have been doing since my first book was published in 1982. \u00a0I have often said I’d probably never retire, at least from writing. \u00a0And that felt sensible. \u00a0It still does, kind of<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0But since I completed my last book in November of last year, The Good Stuff<\/strong><\/em>, a book detailing the plusses of growing up in a dysfunctional family, I have not begun another one. \u00a0That’s 10 months without a book in the works. And for me, that’s a big deal! \u00a0The Good Stuff<\/strong><\/em> \u00a0hasn’t been published yet, but it will be in print in early October and available (already listed on amazon.com), from amazon, bookstores and the publisher: Conari. But I have never sat on the sidelines before. \u00a0Never. \u00a0And it feels rather nice. \u00a0I’m surprised by that.<\/p>\n Surprised and hopeful. \u00a0I don’t want to “have to work” to feel okay. \u00a0How many times have I talked about this very topic in my books and workshops? \u00a0Many, I can assure you and here I am, struggling with it myself. \u00a0Or I thought I was struggling. \u00a0Until this morning. \u00a0And suddenly I feel pretty good about taking this hiatus from my writing life. \u00a0I have even begun to flirt with the idea of writing nothing more. \u00a0I am “trying that on” to see how it feels. \u00a0What I feel is freedom. \u00a0A good kind of freedom. \u00a0I don’t have to be driven. \u00a0I am still the same caring woman whether I’m writing or not. \u00a0Or giving workshops or not. \u00a0My purpose is to be: to be kind; to be an expression of love wherever I am; to be forgiving of any “imagined” transgression. \u00a0My purpose is to appreciate that who I meet has needed to be met by me. \u00a0Who I listen to has needed to share her\/his ideas with me. \u00a0My so-called job is just to show up in this world as One of God’s loving expressions. \u00a0That job is as important as any words I have ever written or spoken. \u00a0How good I feel sharing this with you. \u00a0How good indeed!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At an AA meeting this morning the topic of balance was suggested. \u00a0I have always felt that my life was pretty well balanced. \u00a0I exercise. \u00a0I eat well. \u00a0I have many friends, a great relationship with my husband, and my work life is very satisfying. \u00a0However, I am also exploring the idea of working less. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[8,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3119","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-karens-musings","category-reflections-in-the-mirror-you-and-yourself"],"yoast_head":"\n