Hello and Welcome!

Hi! I’m very excited to be joining this dynamic community of moms who share my quest to balance motherhood and all the other things that make us who we are. I’m also honoured to share the space of such other seasoned bloggers whose writing I enjoy and admire.

I settled on “The Balancing Act” as a name for my blog because for me balance is most definitely a work in progress.  It is something I aim for every day, and rarely achieve. Hence the term“act”.

Often, in my role as a parent and a professional, I attempt to project a facade of balance while inside I’m freaking out.  While doing a simple task like changing a diaper or drafting an agreement, I look around furtively and wonder if people can sense that I’m actually delivering a masterpiece performance of Oscar-caliber. I’ve talked to numerous friends about this whole “acting” thing, and it’s surprisingly universal…

A few years ago, when I began my legal practice, I was asked to address a group of senior clients about an environmental issue. Panic set in: it was increasingly clear that this was all a big mistake – law school, getting a job – a huge irreparable error.  The only possible conclusion of this day would be me crying behind a podium while several forestry officials laughed at my incompetence.  Leaving my apartment as I prepared for the imminent and premature demise of my legal career, I quickly discovered that my rental car (which I’d rented to drive to the client site and subsequently parked unwittingly in an illegal spot), had been towed. In a panic, I cabbed it over to the tow yard and quickly paid the fine. When, I sat in my car with relief to finally drive to my meeting, I THEN DISCOVERED that I had left my briefcase containing my presentation in the cab!

In between sobbing and berating myself, I managed to call a dear friend who rushed to my side.  Together we called my husband (who is a superstar in a crisis). He methodically phoned every cab company in the city till he tracked down the briefcase. When the taxi driver handed me the briefcase, I had to restrain myself from embracing him passionately with gratitude. I raced off to my meeting, for which I was surprisingly on time. I remember walking in and thinking – Oh my god, how am I going to conceal the stress and anxiety I’ve just experienced (never mind the huge red crying eyes – always a must for public speaking), and somehow project that I know what the hell is going on with this legal issue?

At the end of the presentation, my client thanked me and proceeded to comment on my content and composed demeanor…Haa, I fooled him! Hence, an auspicious beginning to the “balancing act” that continues to define my world.