My Word for the Year: Balance

When I chose my word for this year I had to have a giggle to myself. I don’t go in for the zodiac signs and astrology since becoming a Christian many moons ago, but I do remember that my birth sign is libra and has something to do with scales and being balanced.

If there is one thing I am not, it is balanced. I tend towards extremes with very little middle ground. In some ways this has worked well for me. The things which are important to me, myself and I get lots of time, love and thoughtful attention… however the rest of life flits by without me so much as noticing it.

This past year has taught me that to focus solely on one thing leaves other things vulnerable. I focused on Charlotte such a lot last year that my health, the rest of the children and my home took a back seat.

This year I want to master the art of moderation in all things.

I am going to say that again: I want to master the art of moderation in all things.

I still want my focus to be on my family, a few close friends, my home and my health, but I want it spread across them all so that I can nurture each important person or thing in tandem. Even my blog is going to receive some temperance. Gone are the days of posting daily…or not at all. This year I am posting three times a week. No more. No less. See: balanced and achievable, right?

This goes against every natural inclination of each and every bone in my body. And I know I will probably struggle to maintain any semblance of balance. We hope to start the process of adoption or fostering during the latter half of 2020, and I want to get my ducks in a row, so to speak.

We will not be allowed to adopt at the weight I am at right now, so my health is a biggie in the coming year. Alas, this is a battle I have fought, unsuccessfully, since I was a young child. For the first time ever, I intend to tackle it in a balanced, non extreme way. Slowly, slowly.

During the past year, we have been attempting to create space in our little cottage to welcome a child into our home. Due to the thoughtfulness and flexibility of our children and the skill of some very special friends, we now have a spare bedroom. It is currently being used as a guest room for Charlotte’s boyfriend, and is fairly full to the brim with boxes, but we are inching towards being in a position to begin the adoption or fostering process. Going into the new year, this will be a focus of each member of our family as we work together to help this long held dream come true.

I have also needed to rethink how we homeschool. I physically yearn for the days gone by when everything was a learning adventure with my five children. In September, three of the five will either be at college or university seeking their own futures. I have two left, and these two have such different learning needs that I am not able to simply regurgitate their brother and sisters’ educational experience.

As Gary has wisely said, that season has passed and I am now moving into a new and equally exciting period – but a period nonetheless which will necessarily look very different. Balance in all things is now the mantra to which I try to beat my educational drums. This new season of parenting teens out in the world, as well as a tween and an eight year old will look different to all the years past. And if we are accepted as potential adoptive or fostering parents (not a given at all) we will need to stream line everything, especially the younger ones’ schooling.

So it is with not a small amount of trepidation that I move into 2020, cautiously optimistic about what the next few months with bring.

Rather ironically, my goal for this year is to throw myself wholeheartedly into being less gung-ho and all-or-nothing 🤪

Yup… I too suspect that nothing much will change!