Balance

Among the big things that have kept me from blogging recently is the issue of balance.

There are many advantages to working from one's home, but a continual and complicating undercurrent is finding the appropriate balance in my mind between work and family. Complications increase exponentially when the work is writing. Writing is not the kind of work that can be turned on and off like a light switch. Writing is not simply a matter of being in front of the computer for a set number of hours every day. Dividing up the hours of the day is not as difficult as dividing up my focus.

To say that writing requires a particular mindset sounds too concrete. Writing is not a rigid perspective. The writer's eye must always be observing, the writer's ear must always be listening, and the writer's mind must always be open to inspiration.

In a recent discussion about this issue with other writers, someone remarked that when Thurber was sitting alone at parties his wife used to confront him with, "Stop writing!" And someone else was reminded of the short story by Henry James, "The Lesson of the Master."

In my continued musings on the subject, I've come to realize at least one thing: I am not an artist; I am a writer.

At this point in my life, I do not have the talent or the time that would justify thinking of myself as an artist. I am not churning out novels. I cannot unplug my phone, lock my office door, and spend all day, every day scribbling away in solitude (although sometimes I am tempted). I am convinced that would not honor God, who places a high value on relationships. But work is also important to God, and it is crucial for me to understand my work as vocation.

Writing is my vocation. I should neither neglect it nor squander my work time. But while I'm utilizing my gifts and my time, I must not neglect the other people God brings into my life.

The philosophy is simple; the tough part is daily and practical implementation.