Work . . . Life . . . Blog?

Yes, I know, my blogging has gotten a big erratic. But I promise there’s a good reason . . . really, I mean that.

When I started the blog I did it with every intention of big things. Three times a week I’d post something. Of course, then work and life stepped in. I had more than 20 blogs in my files, with lots of others planned.  I had a digital calendar that included what would go up when. And I never expected that to not work out.

Enter reality. I work; and I have other things in my life. Like, my daughter had a baby. I could visit her. So what do I say? Sorry, kid, I can’t play with you. I need to blog.

I am as a freelance editor, which means I have to look for work; it doesn't always drop into my lap. Income can be problematic. Most of my work is by referral, and I truly thank anyone who has ever recommended me to their contacts (feel free to send them my way). I take pride in never missing a deadline—and never turning down an assignment. Would you believe that I had a client call begging for help while I was babysitting? And she couldn’t wait—because her client was on her back. I ended up with the baby using one leg to bounce on while she played, and the laptop open on the other leg so I could look up the answer to her question. (By the way, whoever designed that play table that sings, counts, does the alphabet and teaches Spanish, along with other interactive corners, please contact me; I have a few words I'd like to say to you--that shouldn't be said in public.)

Balancing act

Where do I find work/life balance? November was crazy. I edited a book, went onsite with a client—and had another client sending me work for whenever I could get to it. Plus, the granddaughter came to stay for a week. Forget balance, I just wanted to be able to keep my head on straight while I did everything, including house cleaning, baby setup, and meal planning. You think I could blog through that? I’m not that good. The best I could do was set up a bridge table in the bedroom to hold my laptop so I could work while she was in town—and sleeping. (Her parents were sleeping in her mother’s former room, now known as my “office,” if no one else actually needs it.) Still meeting all deadlines, and apparently not causing havoc in my clients’ lives. Phew! And it continued into

I’m not sure we can ever truly get balance in work and life, with or without a blog on the side. Just today I had lunch out with the hubby, went to the supermarket for the weekly shopping, finished fact checking a large job and started the editing. Oh, and then I started to write this blog? I had to; I'm at least making an effort to post more regularly. Don't know if it will work, but consider it a good effort.

Life is always a balancing act, with or without anything we hadn’t planned for—and we all know we can't plan for everything. The victory for me is just in getting up and getting it all done. If I can cross off most of what’s on my list to do in a day, I figure I’m ahead. As for the rest . . . well, I guess it’s time for me to go clean something out, or just work on more blogs – or maybe not. .

Why Blog?

Why does anyone blog? They either have an expertise in an area that appeals to others—or offer free advice that readers appreciate and can apply to themselves. Or, they have life experiences that they feel will help their readers and are applicable to others. This blog probably falls somewhere in between, with more of an emphasis on the second type of blog.

Who am I? I am a mother of two grown children, the wife of a financial business executive, an editor with experience in general topics including medical/pharmacological areas (feel free to get in touch if you need editorial help; I have reasonable rates). I have some friends—not a lot—with whom I’m close; and a lot of acquaintances. I’m also a really good speller. I read a lot of my daughters’ papers throughout their college years, still sometimes review my husband’s memos for typos and general comprehension, and will even provide instant advice on grammar and wording when asked nicely.

This blog is here because my friends like to talk, and they tell me I’m a good listener. Some of my friends, and even acquaintances, sometimes think of me as their therapist.  I am a very good listener, who will offer an opinion if asked, but doesn’t get crazy if you don’t do what I say—but I will come back and say I told you so if you go off on a path that then causes you more problems because you ignored me. I also don’t always talk a lot, so I’m the speck on the wall who’s just taking it all in and thinking about how what I hear applies to other things in life.

Of course, that also means that I internalize a lot of other people’s stress, which isn’t good. I’m hoping that this blog, which will be a combination of my observations of what others do and my thinking about those actions, might help alleviate that stress. And it also might strike a chord out there with others who, like me, have reached a new point in their lives and need to figure out which road they want to go down next.