Lindsay joined us today (well, OK, a couple days ago but I got behind on email while I focused on other pressing tasks!) and she has great insight to offer:

Growing up with a chronic illness, you’d imagine I’d be awesome at it
by now. I’m not. This past year has been one of my most difficult -
not because of flare-ups, but because of the new balance I’ve had to
create for myself as my mom battled breast cancer and I became a
first-time mom.

I’m almost halfway through my maternity leave (here in Canada, we’re
lucky enough to get an entire year off to get to know our babies) and
I feel so much pressure to do things RIGHT. More and more, I’m
realizing that my definition of ‘right’ needs to change, especially
when my energy is limited. It’s so much more important to live in the
moment - to enjoy time with my husband, my baby girl, my mom, my
friends and family - than it is to have a perfectly clean house or a
perfectly balanced made-from-scratch meal.

I’ve spent the last decade working at ad agencies, so I’m a master
multitasker (and thrive on stress and drama). Much of this year is
being spent de-programming, and learning to be present in each moment.
When I play with Briony, I work at *just* playing (and turning a blind
eye to the dusty baseboards a few feet away from where we’re lying on
the floor). And you know what? It’s making my life so beautiful.

I want to become more and more deliberate with this effort, which is
why I’m so excited to join the “Be Here Now” project.