There’s something about the arrival of spring - with its tempestuous temperament, all sun and blooms one minute, wind and sideways rain the next - that has us thinking about getting our lives in order and working towards some semblance of balance. Such a lofty goal that’s managed to worm its way into our psyche, having us all feeling defeated if we don’t reach it.
I don’t think balance is actually achievable for anyone with caring responsibilities. Life is too haphazard for that. Caring may mean a burden of the mind but it also looks like many balls in the air; sometimes the juggle is smooth and predictable, at other times all those balls fall to the ground and scatter around you.
I’m currently in Melbourne for work, writing this from a hotel room; a special kind of quiet. You can really feel like you’ve got your life together when you’re alone in a room with pressed white linen and no clutter or snack requests.
Earlier this week I took to the shared sibling bedroom for a spring clean. It had reached the point where I needed to get quite serious about it; headphones in, podcast playing, steely determination to keep going until it was done - no dithering. It took far longer than I would have liked; the books, the dust, the half-finished craft projects, the odd socks, pipe cleaners, headphone cables and rocks.
I was complaining about the state of the white walls with their footprints and grime clearly marked in a line when I remembered that they’re just kids with a warm and comfortable bedroom to play and read and sleep, their safe cocoon. We can paint the walls in a few years time, for now we’ll just wipe them down.
I think most children’s bedrooms are like this and while I wish there weren’t stickers on the vintage Laura Ashley lamp stand I found on marketplace, I also know that they easily peel off. Granted I didn’t always think like this, because I was in the cohort of mummy bloggers circa 2010 and styled children’s bedrooms were a thing and they definitely did not feature grubby footprints and glitter stars.
It feels like we’re hurtling towards the end of the year and while I really do like to live slow, the next few months are busy for me in a way that they haven’t been for quite some time. I’m well aware that I can’t function or meet my book deadline if I fall in an exhausted heap hence a plan is my best bet for creating a sustainable work/life balance as the busiest time of the year kicks off. So, while I’m tucked away in a quiet cocoon, I’m planning out the weeks because even if they don’t go to plan, I’ve created some semblance of a framework where I can prioritise what I need to stay well and avoid the frazzle.
Here’s my spring reset/reframe: