Balancing Priorities as a Mom

"I've learned that you can't have everything and do everything at the same time."

Oprah Winfrey

There are days my life feels balanced.

And then there are days--like today--when my life is at sixes and sevens with all the things I have to do--not to mention all the things I want to do.

In years past, I believed in the myth of a Priority List. You know: Make a nice, orderly numerical list of all the things I had to do and then do them in that order. 1-2-3 and so on.

What I realized is my life doesn't fall into a nice 1, 2, 3 pattern of what's most important to what is least important. Reality is, I have several #1 priorities.

• Finding time for me is important.
• Finding time to connect with God is important.
• Finding time for my husband is important.
• Finding time for my kiddos--the ones who've left the nest and the one still home--is important.

There's no 1-2-3 on that list. They are all equally valuable to me.

Throwing out the trap of a Priority List brought some balance to my life. It was good to look at my life and accept the fact that I have many things--many relationships--that have equal value. I no longer get frustrated when everything doesn't fall into place. (Well, more often than not, I don't get frustrated.) Instead, I am learning to live with competing values because that's real life for this Mommy-come-lately.