Pages of My Life – How Do I Balance It All
When people find out that I am a stay-at-home mom with 16- and 20-year-old sons, a caregiver to my mother-in-love, a wife, and an author, I often get asked, “How do I balance it all?” I immediately answer, “I don’t, but by God’s mercy, most of what needs to be done gets done.”
Actually, if you’ll allow a little funny anecdote . . . Many years ago, a friend (who also is balancing more on her plate than a competitive eater at an all-you-can-eat buffet) and I would try to get together at least once a month to catch up and know how to pray for each other. After a particularly rough season, she asked how things were going. I responded, “I think we’re back to our normal chaos.” We both laughed because, in our lives, there is “normal chaos,” and then there is “ChAoS.”
I’m not even sure what a normal life looks like. I’ve tried to envision a life where not every activity first has to be evaluated by my mother-in-love’s capabilities, where my calendar isn’t dictated by dozens of someone else’s appointments, or where I am not anticipating the next medical event, but I truly can’t. I’m not saying that to gain your pity. I am blessed to walk this road and love my mother-in-love as God has called me to do.
Even so, it can take a toll, especially when another part of my calling is to write “dangerously good historical romance.” In fact, my latest release, Written in Secret, was written during one of the hardest seasons of my caregiving life. Instead of taking six to nine months to write, Written in Secret took me fourteen disjointed months. Words were written on the fumes of 3-4 hours of sleep a day, usually between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. when the house was quiet and no one needed me. Then, I’d be up again by 6:30 a.m. to get my youngest son to school and to hit the ground running for the rest of the day.
Join us on Pages of My Life today while Crystal Caudill tell us how she balances everything #BRRC #Reading #Writing Share on XI had no idea if my writing was coherent, but I bounced between my two coping mechanisms: seriously cheesy/slapstick humor and stacking up the body count. Written in Secret has more dead bodies than any previous book and more slapstick humor than I’ve ever dared to write. As much as I love you, dear reader, it wasn’t for you. It was the only way I could survive, write, AND meet my deadlines.
So, how do I balance it all? I don’t. I can’t. I desperately rely on Christ and the prayers of my friends, family, and readers. It can be a wonderful place to be, but I won’t lie. It’s hard. Even so, I wouldn’t change it.
If you’re trying to “balance it all,” lean into the truth that you can’t, but God can. His balance is definitely weighted heavier on the side that makes you depend on Him for everything, but isn’t that the best place to be? There is so much I could say or share on this, but word counts are limiting, and honestly, I have an editing deadline to meet. So here I go, running into dependence on God to get done what needs to be done, even when I know I don’t have it in myself to do it alone.
Before I dash off, I invite you to join me on this “unbalanced” life and writing journey through my newsletter. Every month, I pray for my newsletter subscribers by name and include a personalized prayer in the email. You’ll also get a free e-copy of Counterfeit Truth, a Hidden Hearts of the Gilded Age novella, monthly writing updates, book recs, trivia, and a peek into the “Caudill Chaos.” Of course, you can also find me on Facebook and Instagram with @CrystalCaudillAuthor, and my website is FULL of goodies—bonus content, book club kits, a monthly reading challenge with books for prizes, and character/author interviews from other Christian fiction authors.
Until we meet again, enjoy a good book, a cup of tea, and God’s many blessings.
Newsletter Link: https://crystalcaudill.com/newsletter/
Website: https://crystalcaudill.com/
Crystal Caudill is the author of “dangerously good historical romance,” with her work garnering awards from Romance Writers of America and ACFW. She is a stay-at-home mom and caregiver, and when she isn’t writing, Caudill can be found playing board games with her family, drinking hot tea, or reading other great books at her home outside Cincinnati, Ohio.
The Conversation
Crystal, what a helpful post. I worked in the chaos for years and years, okay most of my adult life, and only God made it all work. I’m semi-retired now and able to arrange a decent writing schedule, but don’t at all resent those days in the eye of the storm. Thanks for sharing.
It’s also so good to hear that someone made it to the “other side” of the chaotic life. LOL Like you, I don’t resent it . . . most of the time. 😉 Caregiving does have its days when you have to lay it at God’s feet.