Last night, as I lay on my bed in a restorative yoga pose waiting for my facial mud mask* to dry, I felt completely at peace. Everything that my life is came sharply into focus. My career is on the right track, my relationship with my husband has never been better, and I have truly become the person I have always wanted to be. I know who I am and what I believe in. I have figured out what I want out of this life – and what I don’t.

As Frank Sinatra crooned from my stereo, I thought about everything I had done all day, and all that I had to do tomorrow. I am in the middle of a big exhibition installation, which simultaneously puts enormous pressure on me AND gets my creative juices flowing like nothing else can. I ran through to-do lists in my head. But then I remembered, all I had to do at that moment was wait for my husband to come in and tell me it was time to wash the mud off my face. It was an exquisite feeling, one that I intend to replicate once a week.

When life is stressful, I try to take some time out just for me. A hot bath, a cup of tea, a good magazine, and a soft jazz CD is a perfect evening. No TV and no telephone. I know my yoga mat spends too much time rolled up in the corner, waiting for its weekly trip to class. But I’m working on that. When I make time for myself, my perspective changes. And suddenly the to-do list doesn’t seem so long, and my deadlines don’t seem so close, and I feel like I can handle just about anything.

Combating the ill effects of modern day stress is the key to maintaining a healthy mind, body, and soul in this fast paced world. In my opinion, the hectic schedule of a parent is counter-productive to achieving inner peace. There just isn’t the time or the energy!

No one I know who has children ever seems to have time to spend on themselves. Things they used to enjoy have been replaced by parenthood. Avid readers haven’t picked up a book in months. Regular travelers have watched their frequent flyer miles shrivel up. Budding gourmets now call a box of frozen peas dinner.

I know my friends with children, for the most part, enjoy their lives too. And that is fine with me.

Let them live their life, and I’ll live mine. And when it’s all said and done, I’ll be able to say “I did it my way” – just like Frank Sinatra.



* I highly recommend Burt’s Bees pore refining mud mask with French green clay. Turn your home into a spa TODAY!!!