Balancing Act

It's definitely not easy, but we can help each other with grace.

At work, I’m in my sixth year of managing a blog that has nearly two hundred writers. I am in contact with lots of people in lots of departments on any given week, requesting their help with new blog posts or updating old ones, assisting them in various ways through their draft-writing process, and asking for their approval on my edits of their work, all within the constraints of my editorial calendar. (That’s a very simplified summary, by the way.)

I have relationships all along the scale with these people: some of them I am just getting to know in a first-time-working-together situation. Some of these people who write the blog posts are folks I have worked with semi-regularly for a few years. I have worked with several of them so often that we make jokes in our back-and-forth emails: jokes about general life stuff or, in the case of a couple of them who don’t mind the ribbing and are good at laughing at themselves, their chronic lateness. A couple of them are not only always on time with their assignments but also send me articles of near-grammatical perfection attached to an email that says “Feel free to make any edits you want,” and then I rarely have any to make. Those people are obviously my favorites.

Throughout the time I’ve been managing this blog and working with so many people who have so many different styles and so many different personalities and so many different needs, it’s an absolute pleasure to have an unexpected moment of enhanced understanding about and connection with someone that unexpectedly pops up in a thoughtful email thread.

About a month ago, I received a final draft from someone who wrote,

“Sorry it has taken so long! I have been very busy with (insert her job here) and am really keeping my work at work to improve my work-life balance. Thank you for your understanding.”

My mouth sort of fell open for a second when I read that because it’s so rare that people actually share out loud that they’re trying to do what a whole lot of us are also trying to do. I was so happy that she felt comfortable sharing that with me. My response:

“No worries at all! I deal with many, many folks who are swamped with (insert her job here) and that’s definitely first priority at (our workplace), right?" I admire your commitment to work life balance. Keep it up!”

We all seem to be paddling like ducks, trying to achieve and maintain some semblance of work-life balance with the added heavy-duty, universal stresses of the cost of living and the intense political climate. In order to find any sense of peace, we have to make multiple tough decisions every single day.

In that moment, it was my co-worker’s excellent (in my opinion) decision to be a little vulnerable with me about her situation, and it was my absolute pleasure to greet that decision with grace, kindness, and understanding, because I do understand.

Communicating honestly (and gently, when that’s needed) with other people is one of my favorite things to do. Learning to provide grace and meet people where they are, not with any expectation of their returning the favor (though it’s always lovely when they do!) but merely because we’re imperfect human beings who deserve that much and more, is something I’m starting to see more of in the world—because I make it a point to look for it—and it brightens my day every time.

Look at these ducks, getting a little R&R.