Back to School Means Back to Basics
Featured Guest Blogger September 14th, 2009
Christina Barlowe founded LifeWork Alliance in 2008 to address the paradigm shift that is reshaping today’s workforce and institute and promote open dialogue between organizations and working parents. Nearly two decades of professional corporate experience, coupled with an MBA and a Masters in Social Work, form the well-rounded skill set necessary to head the innovative organization that is LifeWork Alliance. Christina has a four year old son and a newly adopted little boy who has reshaped her life and has been her source of inspiration.
It’s September. The air is crisper, the sky seems clearer, and the roads are more congested. Let the games begin! When you have children and you work, the anticipation of September seems as anxiety-provoking as it did when you were a kid starting a new grade.
One of the essential things I have learned is to slow things down; somehow it all manages to get done, eventually. This is termed as the concept of “good enough,” which is not easy for many of us Type A’s to swallow. Sometimes, in fact, approaching a challenge in the most rudimentary fashion is a fail-safe way to ensure that it gets done. As a working parent in today’s society, there is so much planning around an actual event, be it the beginning of a new school year for our children or the purging of old clothes and general fall straightening of the house. It’s a wonder that any of these new tasks get done in addition to our already demanding schedules!
September allows us to refocus, regroup and re-organize, three of my favorite things to do. Fall is the time of year we remember from our childhoods, when were excited about all the new school year had to offer; it is a joy that stays with us. September is invigorating, and embracing all that it has to offer brings us back to basics….stay healthy, be kind, learn something new every day, and say “I love you” to those who matter most before heading out for the day. These are the things that sustain us and these are the tenants that help us grow as people, however basic they may seem.
This reminds me of what my dad told me… “This is the best time of your life, recognize and enjoy it.” He found retirement no fun at all and longed for those crazy days with kids, and being an important contributor at work.