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| choices & balance |
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Hard to believe, but here we are getting ready to embark on another Labor Day weekend. For so many years, that has meant me heading to a wedding somewhere and my husband and kids heading to the Labor Day soccer tournament in NH. My daughter, Devan, has been playing in that tournament with her travel soccer club (coached by my husband and another devoted dad) and I've always missed it. Every. Single. Year.
It goes something like this: Early Saturday morning, Chris, Devan and Brogan head off to NH. I take Braeden to the home of another player on his soccer team so he can stay with them and go to his tournament here in Maine. And then I head out to a wedding. After each game, I get a voicemail message from either Devan or Braeden telling me the results and I listen to them when I get a chance. We eventually all make it back home and I get the complete stories of each game. And no, it does not take the place of being there. Not even close.
Last year changed everything. Not only did I realize that Devan only has one more year to play in the tournament based on her age, I received the following voicemail message:
"Hi Mom! Just wanted to tell you that WE WON THE CHAMPIONSHIP!! We WON Mom! The score was 3-0! See you when we get home."
What Devan didn't tell me, but another parent did was that Devan scored all 3 goals. And I wasn't there.
Well this year I will be. After that phone call I made a choice. The minute I got home that weekend I walked over to my giant wall calendar where I have a visual master of what my schedule looks like for the current year and the next year. I took a big black sharpie and I crossed off Labor Day weekend.
I turned down probably a dozen or more requests to photograph weddings for this weekend because I am going to be there to see and cheer Devan and Braeden on at each of there games. I'll still be shooting but I'll be photographing soccer games instead of a wedding.
It wasn't easy to block off such a popular wedding date and turn down those weddings. I love what I do and I adore my clients.
But life is about choices and balance and I made the right decision. And this Labor Day weekend I'm going to be right where I belong. |
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