Wabi Sabi & The Working Mom

I realized today, that one of the biggest stressors of working outside of the home, comes when I am within an hour of my expected close of business, and realize that I am not going to make it. Call it mother’s intuition, but I can always feel it coming, and then like clockwork, a few moments later someone pops their head around the corner and says, “Wanna sit in on a brainstorming session for a new client?”

This happened today. Someone called a late afternoon meeting. I’m only on site two days a week, how can I say no? Without thinking, I immediately went to the frig and grabbed my rice pudding. Comfort food. Boy, does my body know me or what…

Later, I went to the meeting, was totally engaged and as I was wrapping up loose ends, received a call from home. I excused myself to a lone hallway and negotiated a truce between siblings over the phone, then returned and knocked out two more drafts for another project. Yes, my day went longer than I planned, but I hardly noticed.

How did I do it? Well, the rice pudding certainly helped. But there is more. I breathed. I prayed. I breathed even deeper. And then I chose to believe that God would give me grace to deal with the traffic, the sitter and whatever else.

Later I came across this, which says it even better:

“Appreciate this and every moment, no matter how imperfect, for this moment is your life. When you reject this moment, you reject your life. You don’t have to settle for this moment, you are free to steer a different course, but for now, this moment is yours, so be mindful to make the most of it.” Taro Gold from Living Wabi Sabi: The True Beauty of Your Life