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Category: Among friends

Rediscover.

When I was in 4th grade, in 1975, my mother started having a self-described "mid-life crisis" that lasted several years. She sought help through counseling and reading, and one of the books she read was a wildly popular bestseller that I'd dismissed, until now.

Jennifer Balink About my mother, Among friends, Family matters, Motherhood mayhem, The view from here, Work-Life Leave a comment August 13, 2022August 13, 2022 3 Minutes

Restore.

When my children were little, during the age of great dependency, I sometimes, oftentimes, struggled in my job as their mother. My struggles were laid bare most visibly on weekends, holidays and vacations. Particularly at the beach. **** Once, we loaded the last bag in the car at almost noon, the first Saturday of spring … Continue reading Restore. →

Jennifer Balink Among friends, Motherhood mayhem 1 Comment August 12, 2022August 12, 2022 7 Minutes

Reroute.

Seven years ago this week, when I turned 50, I was on the brink of breaking free and launching into the career I'd been waiting for. I'd worked hard, set my sights, and was ready, finally, to (in the lingo of that year) lean in.

Jennifer Balink Among friends, The view from here 7 Comments August 11, 2022 1 Minute

Reevaluate.

Unless we want to keep the insane practice of doing the same things, expecting miraculously different results, perhaps it's as good a time as any to reevaluate where we are, what we truly want, and what we're willing to do to get there.

Jennifer Balink Among friends 8 Comments August 10, 2022August 10, 2022 4 Minutes

Reinvent.

OK, now what? That's the question. In my experience (and I have my fair share of change management/reinvention experience to bring to bear here), "now what?" may be the only question worth asking when things are going sideways, whether that sideways slide is a dead car battery or an entire country run amok in civil … Continue reading Reinvent. →

Jennifer Balink Among friends, The view from here 4 Comments August 9, 2022 1 Minute

Relay.

Is rugged individualism now truly in our DNA? Have we relayed that instruction over centuries of systematically pursuing individual liberties lead us beyond policy, beyond philosophy, to a place in which our bodies became coded as lone wolves and utter assholes?

Jennifer Balink Among friends, Reading and writing, Serious stuff 9 Comments August 8, 2022 6 Minutes

Review.

My first "real job," as my father called it, was a marketing position in a telecommunications company, back in the days when AT&T was still a monopoly and we were all thrilled with the novelty of AOL and email. I wrote marketing flyers and customer letters, teaching myself how to use WordPerfect, PageMaker and FileMaker … Continue reading Review. →

Jennifer Balink Among friends 7 Comments August 5, 2022August 5, 2022 4 Minutes

Reassess.

It is in the seemingly unimportant, small, incremental decisions that "work-life balance" either is or isn't settled.

Jennifer Balink Among friends 6 Comments August 4, 2022August 4, 2022 3 Minutes

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What a beautiful day for some fun in the sun
I R-E-L-I-S-H Sunday morning time, reading, and fig season. More about all of that on jennyslark dot com (but not too much more, because it’s Sunday). Happy Sunday.
Sometimes it goes this way instead. #dontwannaplay
Thirty seconds earlier, before I swung my feet out of bed and stepped on the floor, they were snuggled tight, back to back, sound asleep.
We did a mother-daughter thing. Also: last day of early voting is today (Saturday, 7/30/22). Also: if you have a child heading to college in the fall, she/he/they must vote in person in this August election in order to qualify for absentee voting in November. #firsttimevoter #vote #votingmatters
Such a show off She is, particularly around the golden hour.

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    • Rediscover.
    • Restore.
    • Reroute.
    • Reevaluate.
    • Reinvent.

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    What a beautiful day for some fun in the sun
    I R-E-L-I-S-H Sunday morning time, reading, and fig season. More about all of that on jennyslark dot com (but not too much more, because it’s Sunday). Happy Sunday.
    Sometimes it goes this way instead. #dontwannaplay
    Thirty seconds earlier, before I swung my feet out of bed and stepped on the floor, they were snuggled tight, back to back, sound asleep.
    We did a mother-daughter thing. Also: last day of early voting is today (Saturday, 7/30/22). Also: if you have a child heading to college in the fall, she/he/they must vote in person in this August election in order to qualify for absentee voting in November. #firsttimevoter #vote #votingmatters
    Such a show off She is, particularly around the golden hour.

    Looking for something?

    Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 7,305 other followers

    Tags

    #nostalgia #WPLongform 20 years in 20 posts aging art blogging books children Christmas cooking creative brief creativity Daily Post daily writing december sanity dinner dogs DPchallenge eating entertaining faith families family family dinner family meals farmer's market Fiction food friends friendship garden growing up Hipstamatic holiday stress home kitchen life love marriage memoir Memphis mental wellness menu planning menus month in review monthly digest motherhood mothers mothers and daughters NaNoWriMo National Novel Writing Month neighbors new year parenting photography postaday post a day postaweek raising children reading reading recommendations recipes relationships self-care summer Thanksgiving time travel vacation weekly menu women work-life balance writing year in review young adult fiction
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