I’ve had a little routine going on every Thursday night for several months now. It goes something like this:
As I’m settling down to go to sleep Thursday evenings, I’ll picture myself waking up the next morning. I’m refreshed and relieved that it’s Friday, a day that I usually save for paperwork and miscellaneous tasks for my practice. I grab my coffee, drop the kids off without a hitch, find a great parking spot near my office, and arrive for the day. I sit at the computer and sip my coffee, then take a deep breath, crack my fingers, and begin writing a blog post. Thirty minutes later, I have a reasonably well-crafted post. I hit “Publish,” feel satisfied that I’ve started the day productively, and continue on with an enjoyable Friday.
I can’t remember the last time that actually happened. In fact, I haven’t written a single post since our daughter was born in late April 2013. The reality (happening now) is that I’m writing very early on a Saturday after said daughter, bless her heart, woke up before 5 am.
But the important thing is that it’s happening. Not exactly according to plan, but I guess that’s okay. Having kids has given me plenty of opportunity to get acquainted with the concept of being Good Enough. Not perfect, or even close to perfect, but just Good Enough. For someone who’s historically tried to do everything Exceptionally Well, this is a shift. At times painful, frustrating, and difficult. But something I’m getting used to. And it turns out that the world doesn’t actually fall apart (yet) when I’m doing things Good Enough. So in the process I’m learning a little more about what’s really important and where I should be putting my energy.
I hope to write more often moving forward, but for now I need to wrap up. I can hear our son calling from upstairs, ready to start his day.