There's so much I want to do for abortion -- provide care to women, improve work life for abortioneers, increase access in rural counties, push for legalization in more countries, and research more about everything -- that I don't know how to find enough time in my life for it all.
...Let alone blogging, which often feels less like a service I provide for others and more a kind of "journal" for myself. I notice that whatever I've been doing most of in a given week is what makes its way into my posts -- and when I'm doing everything at once, my posts are long, or overly digressive...or about trying to do too many things.
Forget about work/life balance -- I'm struggling to find work/work balance! (And grateful that my "life" component is full of people who support my struggle.) I want to hear from those of you who have been in this work for ages -- do you have to let go of some things after a while? Can you continue to "do everything" beyond, say, the ten-year mark? Does anyone out there find a balance between research and practice? Between direct services and affecting policy? HOW do you do that? Or do you have to be a superstar like Amy Hagstrom Miller or Leroy Carhart?
As I'm nearing the end of my graduate program and starting to think about what's next, there's an obvious expectation that people pick one thing to do "full-time" -- what kind of person willingly has three jobs? -- and relatively long-term. But I feel so full of ideas and motivation and different directions, and so short on sleep and time in the day. Someone talk to me about this! Who is making this work??
Thursday, November 11, 2010
2 comments:
This is not a debate forum -- there are hundreds of other sites for that. This is a safe space for abortion care providers and one that respects the full spectrum of reproductive choices; comments that are not in that spirit will either wind up in the spam filter or languish in the moderation queue.
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Not me. Haha. I feel you though! I am in a very similar position. Have you reached out to the superstars and asked?
ReplyDeleteGreat post! I've only been doing this a few years, but my $.02...
ReplyDeleteI work at a national women's rights nonprofit full time, helping college students raise awareness about abortion rights, women's health, etc. I kind of see this as contributing toward the larger cultural and policy shifts we need to support choice.
In my spare time, I also like training clinic escort volunteers and serving on the board of our local abortion fund. These are band aid solutions to local anti abortion harassment and legislation, but they are certainly rewarding. My coworkers and fellow volunteers have become my friends, so it doesn't feel like a chore.
I have to put my foot down at times and skip events or commitments I'm only kind of interested in, so I won't totally neglect my boyfriend. I let him know what my week looks like, and sometimes he'll meet me at events or meetings after work. I probably need to sleep more, but it seems to work out so far.
Good luck, find me on the twitters @dgeong if you want to talk more :)