Titles

I've been thinking a lot about the titles that belong to me and wondering if they define me. 

Wife
First and foremost I consider myself to be a wife.  I agree with this title and it is one I am proud of.  I feel very lucky to be married to a wonderful man, M, who truly is willing and able to take this journey through life with me.  I believe our strong marriage is what enables us to be good parents.

Mama
I'm so lucky to be the mama of two little boys.  They bring so much joy into my life.  L is a week shy from turning 3 and E is 10 months old.  They definitely keep me busy but they fill my heart with so much love.  I'm incredibly proud to call myself their mama.

Runner
This is a new title to me and one I'm still not convinced I am.  In February I started running.  I've never been a runner and prior to that I probably would have told you that the only way I would run would be if someone was chasing after me.  But E was 6 months old and I wanted to do something to get my body back to a happy place for me.  I also have been thinking a lot about keeping up with two active boys and wanting to be healthy for them.  Hypertension and type II diabetes run in my family and I want to create healthy habits now that will hopefully keep these diseases at bay for some time.  M and I read an awesome book around this time that really inspired both of us to run (although M has always been a runner).  I took a Chi Running workshop and haven't looked back since.  I'm now running regularly (4.3 miles so far is the furthest distance I've accomplished) and currently training for a 10K.  I still have to push myself out the door some days but I love how I feel when I'm done. 

I also work full time and in many respects I define myself by my job.  I'm a teacher and I love it.  I love being able to work with high school students every day.  I feel as if teaching is a ministry for me.  It was something I was called to do and I feel blessed every day that I get to work doing something I love.

Balancing all of this is tough.  Being a working mom is tough.  Carving time out to nurture my marriage is a challenge.  Finding time to exercise 5-6 days a week is a struggle.  But it's something I want/need to do so somehow I find a way.  There are some days when I fail at one of these roles.  Instead of dwelling on it I try and do better the next day.  I hope this blog will help me acknowledge my good days more than the bad days.  Because I know I'm not the only one struggling to juggle all of these titles and more.