The "Mom-Triathlete"

OK, so I completed my first triathlon. And now it is very unfortunate that I cannot ride that high I'm still on. The day after my tri, I had minor eye surgery and the docs said I HAD to take at least a week off from training. Boo hoo! I'm soooo itching to get back in my running shoes, or back in the water, or back on my bike, I can't even stand it!!!! Oh well.... Doctor's orders....

I guess, then, I'll take some time to talk about something one of my fellow "bloggers" brought to my attention. I'm a full-time mom, a part-time litigation specialist, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and now a triathlete.

And therein lies the question...... What is the true sport here? Triathlon or Life-Juggling?

I have been reading a lot of posts of other mom-triathletes. They are amazing to me. And they all have one thing in common......it doesn't matter how many jobs they have to juggle or how many tasks they need to complete or how many requests are thrown their way...... they all FIND the time for themselves. I think that finding the time is the most difficult part for any mom-triathlete. And then once they find the time, putting everything they need to do in the right order becomes imperative.

A couple of weeks ago I was asked "Raina, how in the world do you find the time to be a mom to toddler twins, work in a law firm, take the kids to and from school, do the grocery shopping and the laundry, and train five days a week for a triathlon?" It took one second for me to answer that question..... "I find the time for me." (Of course, I do have a good husband that helps around the house and understands the importance of helping me FIND the time I need to do these things.) But the "juggling" is left up to me.

I'm learning that the "Mom-Triathlete" is a special breed. Timing and order are specialties of hers and she knows how to put the most important things first. Children take that spot, of course. Every mother knows and understands that. So what comes next in line? Unfortunately a lot of women fill up the next few spots with cleaning the house, doing the laundry, cooking dinner, or shopping for groceries. To me, these are "non-vital" necessities. They are necessary, of course, in day-to-day life. But are they vital? Are they a crucial part of a life ful-filled? Vital necessities are things that MUST be addressed without question. When did we as women and mothers become next in line behind non-vital necessities? We have no problem in admitting that our children are the most important to us and that their needs are fundamental. So why is it so hard for us to give ourselves that kind of importance? How can we strive for happiness when we consider ourselves second rate to bread?

Mom-Triathletes understand timing, rank and order. They understand that life is too short to put clean sheets and a newly vacuumed rug ahead of their happiness. Vital necessities become about them and their children first. Everything else can wait. (At least until the fridge is empty).