You know that feeling you get when you have a list of things to do that feels so long that you just don’t want to do anything? Well, then you are part of a large club! Nearly everyone I have spoken with lately seems to raise this issue. We all know that we need to give something up, stop doing one of these things, curate our activities, but which one goes? How do you decide?
Work is a necessity. It’s how the bills get paid. It gives us money for the fun things in life. Wait a minute… I cut the fun stuff out so I could breathe. At least that’s how it seems lately. I volunteer for my daughter’s marching band. My job is to run the concession stand at football games. I enjoy it. It makes for two hectic months for me. And people have suggested it’s too much. I should step down. Did I mention that this is something I enjoy doing?
I have one more year after this, and no one seems interested in taking over. Fewer people are volunteering. Maybe because it’s not fun for them. Perhaps it’s because of the OVERWHELM. Maybe when everyone in their family is at their activities, they steal those quiet moments for themselves. To breathe, to make another to-do list. To try and overcome that feeling of having too much to do and not enough time.
I have many people who care for me so much that they try and help by telling me what I should be giving up or how I could better accomplish what I need to get done, even how to prepare for some future event. Unfortunately, much of that comes across as their need to help because I can’t do it myself, which is also overwhelming. No one likes feeling as if they are not good enough.
I haven’t found a solution. I have given up many things that I enjoy but still have a few that I cling to for dear life. I sometimes trade sleep in order to do them.
Whiskey in a Teacup 