A Tale of Graduation Chaos and the Myth of Work/Life Balance

Right now, it is 6:00 on a Wednesday evening, and I am sitting in the school library as a silent union rep. It’s contract negotiations time, and we silent reps are here to support our union reps as they negotiate on our behalf. As implied, I am silent at the moment, and it’s a perfect pocket of time to write this newsletter for you. Because, honestly, it has been a real challenge to write anything at all in the last few weeks.

It is graduation season.

IYKYK.

The English language is insufficient to adequately describe the level of intensity that is the high school graduation week. We are all equally helpless and possessed. And for me personally, it all culminated with our twins’ graduation party, which ushered in a frenzy of yardwork, garage and basement cleaning, and celebratory decorating. Also painting the fireplace (because, of course). It was an ugly color, and though I’m still not fully smitten with the stonework, it’s better than it was.

In the midst of all this activity, writing has fallen to the wayside. Waaaaaaaaay wayside.

For a very long time, I quested—as Galahad (or, later, Indy) for the Grail—for the ever-elusive work/life balance. (Don’t laugh.) Has anyone ever found it? Believe me, I have tried, and she is either professional-level elusive or nonexistent.

Read the entire post on my Substack!