Can you really have it all?
It's a question that plagues a lot of twenty-somethings. We are the generation of divorces and single parent homes. We are the generation indoctrinated with the idea that while you can have something more than a job (a career), there's a chance you'll have to sacrifice love and/or building a family for it. This question has lived in the recesses of my mind for years and, even more so recently, as my SO and I have continued building a life together. Before I was in a committed relationship, I hustled. I put endless hours into projects and found myself going into the office at 6:30 or 7 am and staying until 9:15 or 10 at night. Now, I find myself making an effort to get home in time to get dinner ready and work on blog posts or brainstorming in the wee hours of the night, after I've made sure everything is in order for us. Though it doesn't feel like I'm still hustling, because it's all for a different outcome, I have to remind myself that it is. For those of you who may unfamiliar, I have a slight obsession with all things June Ambrose. She is a renowned Creative Director and Personal Stylist, who's worked with the biggest names in music, including Beyoncé and Jay Z, Diddy and Mary J. Blige. What few people may not know about June is that as a hardworking mother of 2, she wakes up in the middle of the night to workout, cook dinner, prepare for her day and get her children ready for school and activities. Seriously, like at 3 or 4 am. She clearly has mastered "having it all." That, in and of itself, is absolutely amazing to me. I mean, everyone has a family member or friend that's a single parent and is working to juggle life, their child(ren), a job and dating. But to see June, who jet sets from NY to LA at any given moment, make time for QT with her little ones while fulfilling her dreams, is inspiring. While at Jay-Z and Budweiser's Made in America festival in Philly, I had the opportunity to snap selfies with the amazing June. And, truly, it awakened my star sense. (Thank God for my SO. If it weren't for him, I would have been completely and totally satisfied with seeing her in person and chatting with her assistant Tookie. He pushed me to go meet her and get a photo and for that I am eternally grateful.) If you haven't noticed, my blogging approach has changed. Rather than succumb to the pressure of blogging daily, I do it on my own time---when I feel inspired. That's not to say that I don't write semi-regularly, because I do. I help a friend with her company's blog, and I have a bajillion notes in my iPhone and docs on Google. My consciousness is constantly growing and evolving. Some of it is written to share with you guys and dolls, while some of it is written just to keep me sane. I find myself at a point where things are starting to change and I'm starting to feel like I, too, can have it all. It just takes work and discipline; and so many people are lacking in those areas. "Not I," said this pretty poodle. I'm pushing myself one day a time and I hope you'll all stick around for the ride. Yours sincerely, Jaclynn Ashley
