Ha. Sound familiar? I repeated this ridiculous mantra in my head until it bit me in the ass on Sunday. Ouch. I’m finally just beginning to breathe clearly now (Tuesday). Ah…
In one lucky streak of workweeks, I was assigned to 3 jobs last weekend that included interviewing Elton John, Emily Blunt, director DJ Caruso (one of my favorites!) and his entire cast of the new movie “I Am Number Four,” and – last but not least – Barry Gibbs of legendary BeeGees fame with Olivia Newton-John and other wild and audacious Aussies at the G’Day USA Black Tie Gala in Hollywood…. all jam-packed into a frantic 6-hour period. As a (freelance) TV reporter, I don’t refuse work… ever (particularly because you never know when you’re going to work again). So, given my position, would you say no to these gigs on account of a having a little cold? In an effort to stay fabulous and furious, I opted take advantage of my hubby’s ability to watch LadyP and to ignore my sore throat and achy body and power though my workday just like my before-baby days. What I seemed to forget was: I actually have a baby now. That old philosophy doesn’t work like it used to.
Before LadyP, I worked when I was sick all the time. Got the flu? No prob: Just drink coffee and Red Bull, put on some extra lipstick, wash your hands constantly and no one will be the wiser. The challenge of trying to keep my concentration while conducting interviews through my Sudafed was once thrilling for me. Now, it was just exhausting. Meds or no meds: my mind and body were a pooped from midnight wakings/feedings and the constant responsibility of taking care of a baby, husband and household day in and day out… without a permanent nanny, housekeeper or my mom nearby (that I could call and say “Come over now”). Just when I started to get angry at myself for having the insane notion that my crazy career climb could continue and for possibly biting off more that I could chew, I realized: This is what it’s about now. This is the ‘balance’ that other moms relate with one another about. This is what makes moms so great. This will sound utterly cheesy, but thinking of all the power-moms, single-moms and working-moms out there inspired me to keep going, get my job done and remind myself to enjoy the journey of the day despite my sniffles.
I’m now a part of the club that gets tired and sick yet is often still driven to function for the good of the family, partnership, household, baby and self. I’ve found that having a baby requires me to forge ahead even moreso than I used to, and (despite having to sometimes do it through a cold), it’s making me a better person. Learning to balance life, work and personal happiness gets overwhelming (and sometimes annoying), but after you make it work you feel like an unstoppable superhero… and all of my friends know that I’m never one to turn away from feeling an internal ego boost. In my short 3.5 months of being a mommy, I’m learning to stop my whining, be more organized, possess a no-nonsense attitude and strive to be generally better at the things I want to be better at (work, love, life, family).
Lesson learned: Know thy limits, prepare for them, suck it up, just do it and laugh later no matter the outcome. Now I just have to remember to take my Vitamin C.
