By Shannon Magsam, nwaMotherlode.com co-founder and Ladybug’s mama
Lately, I keep hearing the admonition that life can’t be lived behind a computer. That to write words people want to read, you have to get out there and actually live a life worth reading about.
Of course, this concept has always been whispering in my ear, but recently it’s much louder. Because now it resonates with me. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear?
Throwing the Mom Prom earlier this month was something that pulled me out of my comfort zone. It doesn’t seem like it would be a big deal to you, maybe, but I was worried. You see, I’ve always joked that I have “bad party karma”.
Also, I was worried about stretching my time too thin when I’m already sleep and me-time deprived. But along with my trusted business partner, Gwen, and our new Motherlode sales phenom, Angela, we tackled the prom with gusto.
It was hard work, and it did take tons of time to plan and execute, but the reaction we got from moms and women across NWA (and beyond!) made it all worth it. We started Motherlode as a place to encourage mamas and make life better for them — and they told us over and over on Prom Night that they needed a girls’ night out just like this. That made my year.
I was also relieved to see that my bad party karma had been reversed.
We’re already planning next year’s prom and we’re still busy, but now that summer is fast approaching, this is a good time to do what my husband is often imploring me to do: Step Away From The Computer.
Sometimes I feel like Wilson on that old show Home Improvement. Except the lower part of my face is partially hidden by a computer screen, not a fence.
Too often, I see life over my keyboard. My “desk” is on the kitchen table (even though I have a whole room that’s supposedly my office), so I often look out at my family as they watch television, interact and hang out. I hear a joke on television, laugh with them from a distance, then jump back into my work, email, Facebook or Twitter.
So, a declaration: This summer I’m standing up, I’m stepping away. I’m getting “out there”.
The Mom Prom was a good reminder that when I step away from the computer good things can happen. And sometimes that involves dancing so hard you throw out your hip (a different story for a different day).
Shannon Magsam is mom to 11-year-old Ladybug, married to Ladybug’s dad, John, and co-founder of nwaMotherlode.com. To read previously published installments of Life With Ladybug, click here.
