Adapting

The past couple months have been a whirlwind, both personally and politically. For better or worse, the personal has kept me from dwelling too much on the political.

In typical newborn fashion, my little IB demands nearly all of my time, energy, and attention. It’s a big change, this shift from Person to Also Parent. And just when you think you’ve got a handle on it, the kid enters a new phase, throwing things out of alignment again.

“Every day is a different beast,” as my friend Ben said. (He has 5 children, so I assume he knows what he’s talking about.) I’m doing my best to adapt. Finding time for myself — and for my writing — in the spaces between IB’s needs.

One thing I’ve really been enjoying is capturing little moments every day. I’m compiling them privately in a sort of digital baby book for IB. One picture a day, accompanied by a few thoughts or observations. I might try something like that here too. We’ll see.

A new normal. I feel like we’re all searching for that right now.


4 responses to “Adapting”

  1. Browsing the Atlas Avatar

    I remember those days. Here’s the secret truth: it never ends. My kids are 27 and 16 now and I still find myself balancing my personal time, writing time, mothering time, and all of life.

    1. Kristan Avatar

      Lol oh boy. Thanks for the warning!

  2. Natalia Sylvester (@NataliaSylv) Avatar

    This: “And just when you think you’ve got a handle on it, the kid enters a new phase, throwing things out of alignment again.”

    I don’t have a baby, but I can definitely relate to this on a political level. Trying to find a balance between dedicating energy to my life and art, but also being active in this larger world we’re a part of.

    1. Kristan Avatar

      *nods* And I think after this election, a lot of us are realizing how important it is to make more time to engage with politics.