As a mom who works outside of the home, I sometimes find myself stressed at the thought of achieving balance. You know balance, right? A time for work, a time for home, keeping the work things at work and the home things at home.

If only it could be as easy as writing that last sentence was.

But here’s the secret. Sometimes when work and home collide, or join forces, I smile.

Like the time one of my students suggested I watch a popular television show because one of the characters reminded him of me.

And the kids and I watched it, and laughed continuously for the next 30 minutes.

Another time is when we have discussions at dinner about Stephen’s Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Because I’m using it as my theme for the year in Student Development at the college, and because the kids are also studying it at school.

That takes my breath away. Intellectual conversations with the Littles. Simply Wow.

This one is big…when the kids talk about my students with an admiring tone, and then see them as mentors. It comes full circle. I mentor the college students, they mentor my children, and we all benefit from the relationships created.

Who wouldn’t smile at those things?