Balance is about doing what you need to do and then having fun. Not that tough, ok? Do important stuff first, and then frag. This is gloriously uncomplicated.

So what is important? I have no idea. For me, important stuff is (in order):

Taking care of my family
Working and making money
Progressing in my career
Taking care of myself (part of this is having fun)
Participating in a meaningful spiritual community
Keeping up with the d&d 4e rules
Learning how to rocket jump in tf2

In my opinion, taking care of one’s self must come first….physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually, in order for any of the other things to happen- we can’t possible take care of others or be good role models for “balance” in life if we don’t practice what we preach:)

This is a really good point.

it’s classic “do as I say and not what I do” scenario.

I used to find it hard to “play” if I knew there were a few important chores that hadn’t been done yet each day. I ended up feeling like the expression, all work and no play… dull! Luckily I met my husband, my perfect “yang”, and together we learned to balance work and play. Along came our first child, and I temporarily slipped back into “get the list done” lady, while trying to find time for me as the demands of mother/wife/teacher/etc. piled up. By the time our daughter was crawling, I was back on the right track.

Now, my three year old and her very active imagination have me playing more, and I’m embracing letting go of some of the “work” in my day. She loves building/sorting things, puzzles, anything artsy, and recently- interacting with imaginary friends… and I love watching her! (Ok, I may be folding laundry too, but mostly I’m watching her and smiling.) A future scientist maybe (check out PBS’s “Sid, the Science Kid”- my girl has learned more about science concepts than most 1st graders I teach!)... and she loves the 10 minutes a day we spend playing online games together from the PBS shows she likes. She can already kick my butt in the classic “Memory” card matching games I find online for her!

Four days ago I found a few 3-D puzzles, Rubic’s Cube, etc. I saved in my mom’s attic from my childhood- I haven’t solved them yet, but I’m enjoying the time spent trying!