his post is the fifth in a series of posts about the MAPP Gathering, a web-based interview series on Motherhood, Ambition, Passion and Purpose. 


Today I finally had the time to tune into the fifth interview in the MAPP gathering interview series. This one with with Dr. Sara Gottfried, an integrative medical doctor who specializes in women's health. As Dr. Gottfried began sharing her journey to motherhood I instantly felt a connection with her... we both were experiencing extreme professional burnout before becoming a mother and both feel that this was what catapulted us into the journey of finding balance or harmony in our lives.

Finding that balance has been a voyage. A long one for me. And it sounded like it wasn't the fastest journey for Dr. Gottfried either. She talked about how motherhood requires an "endless supply of energy" and how we need to figure out a way to balance our desire to give to others with our need to manage our energy. In fact, she made a really great comparison between the book, The Giving Tree, and being a mother. The tree wasn't happy until it had given and given... until it was just a stump for the boy to sit on. And often times in motherhood - that's when we feel as though we've given enough - when what is left of us is a stump.

But today, I don't want to focus on that part. Perhaps another day I'll write about giving overload. Today I want to talk about a different piece of this interview. As Dr. Gottfried was talking about this journey of finding balance (a constant effort for me) she talked about what a mess it can be to be on this journey. And that rather than thinking of this mess as a bad thing, an embarrassing path on the way to something good - we should think of the mess as our message. It's not the idea that we've reached balance and we're zen and perfect. Our journey to that point is what makes us who we are and what defines us. And really, is that journey ever complete?

Continue reading at http://modernmommymagic.blogspot.com/2012/05/mapp-gathering-5-dr-sa...

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