Having It All

I'm one of those people who gets nervous when things are going too well because I assume that something will have to go wrong soon to even things out. But for the past couple months I've been on a roll (knock on wood) and I'm starting to believe that maybe (just maybe) you really can have it all.

That's not to say that it all comes down to luck. You obviously have to work hard to play hard and great things don't just come to you without a little blood, sweat, tears, and good karma. The good news is that I don't mind working up a sweat and shedding a few tears if the pay off is what I have now. This summer I have managed to score my dream job and my dream guy and maintain my self-sufficiency and independence, while working three jobs but making time for a lot of fun and adventure. I've never been more exhausted, but I've never been happier or more satisfied.

My "dream job" (for now at least - it constantly changes and tends to be whatever is happening in the moment) is working at the editorial department at Vancouver Magazine. This internship is ideal in every way - who wouldn't want to talk to the greatest chefs in Vancouver, drink our best local wines, and get all the inside details on every event in this city, all while writing and editing? - besides the fact that it is more or less unpaid. Which means that it is totally worth doing, I just also have to do a lot more. So I fit about 30 hours per week of work at my two favourite stores around my full time position at the magazine in order to keep my cozy and colourful little apartment all to myself. Needless to say, my day planner is almost as packed as it was when I was a student (which is saying a lot).

I often work two shifts a day, and I can't even remember my last day off, yet this summer has consisted of  an endless number of runs on the Sea Wall, a countless number of drinks at my favourite Yaletown and Kits bars, and a continuous exploration of summer in Vancouver. From The Chief to Bard on the Beach, from the Night Market to the Sea Wheeze, from beach days to movie nights, from the Rush concert to the Fun. concert, from the fireworks nights to The Bachelorette nights, and from the Sunset Festival to movies in the park, this summer has somehow been filled with all the love, laughter, and fun I could have asked for, despite my 70 hour/week work schedule. I really have had it all. Especially because the play time is not nearly as worthwhile without the work time.

I think perhaps the biggest sacrifice I've made in the name of "having it all" is (besides sleep . . .) this blog! My poor little blog has been so abandoned! So I am making a vow to myself now that this becomes a priority on the list. It will be scheduled into my planner if that's what it takes. Writing is far too important to me to allow it to fall by the wayside. Once I've got that under control, I really will have it all: the most supportive family ever, the most wonderful friends in the world, the best boyfriend a girl could want, a home that is all mine, a job that I've dreamed of for years, constant laughter and adventure, and my own little blog that keeps me company on rainy and slow days at the office. Could you ever want anything more?

Knock on wood. (The cynicism isn't completely dead just yet.)