I love giving guest posts, and I especially love getting them from other bloggers. They are a way for us to step out of the themes we have set for ourselves on our own site, and allow us to explore other thoughts and ideas.
Tamara, our guest poster today, and I switched posts. Our blogs are very different and I was thrilled to give her the opportunity to share a side of herself with readers that she normally isn’t able to!
So, check out Tamara’s post below . . . and let her know how you feel!
The plight of the ambitious mama
I love my life (for the most part).
My husband is kind, generous, smart, handsome and funny (never mind that he regularly loses his keys and phone and believes that duct tape and twist ties are all you really need for home repairs…).
My children are bright, curious, confident, self-motivated and engaging (when they aren’t arguing and interrupting each other and I can tear them away from their handhelds and computers…).
I am thrilled to be working in a field that I’m passionate about, motivating and inspiring others to improve their lives through fitness and healthy choices (although some are harder to motivate than others and require me to play psychologist as well as personal trainer…).
I have a full and happy life. Yet some days, it doesn’t quite feel like enough (did I just say that out loud?).
I postponed having children until after I’d finished a doctoral degree in ecology. I knew that I wanted to be home with them more than I wanted to be studying the habits of stream fishes and chasing a tenure-track position. I regret not a single day spent changing diapers, collecting ladybugs, building sandcastles and provisioning lemonade stands (umm, okay, there was that time when my son’s diaper exploded in the community hot tub that I briefly questioned my decision to abandon academia…).
Lately though, I find myself feeling less than satisfied spending my days taking care of others. Placing their hopes and dreams before my own. Delaying my own emotional and intellectual growth until some vague point in the distant future. A time when they need me less (will such a time every come?).
My challenge for 2013? To create the time to explore those hopes and dreams. To begin to chart a course to a fuller and happier life. A life in which mama feels as satisfied and nurtured as her children do. Happy wife, happy life.
That might mean scaling back at work or volunteering a little less frequently. The floors may not be washed as often and my children will need to learn to fetch their own snacks. A little short term pain for a whole lot of long term gain.
The end of the plight of the ambitious mama.
Tamara Grand lives in beautiful British Columbia Canada with her husband, three children, a ginger cat and a large stash of hand-dyed yarn. She works as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor and enjoys pushing her clients and class participants out of their comfort zones. She’s happiest when they text her the day after a workout complaining about sore arms and legs.
She believes that exercise and healthy eating need to be part of everyone’s life and aims to inspire and motivate others by showing them that if she can do it, anyone can. She blogs about fitness, food, family and fiber (knitting fiber, that is) at fitknitchick.com and is always thrilled when you comment on her posts. Please follow her on Twitter @fitknitchick_1.