Don’t sacrifice too much for the sake of being efficient
I’m not going to lie, there are days when the routine of life has me borderline depressed. Not a deep depressed but a shallow boredom that messes with my head. I start to think that if I feel this way, and I get the chance to change it up here and there I can’t imagine what certain women (stay at home or office bound) must experience. How are we supposed to deal with ground hog day, never enough time, keeping up with hitting our domestic marks, and oh yea, trying to be fun loving Mom and wife?
As I get older I am starting to come to terms that you really can’t get it all done, and things are not going to be perfect. I was talking to my husband (who by the way knows how to work hard and keep the fun up in his life), about how I was beginning to see the real price for being efficient. In the end the cost of everything being in its place IS NOT WORTH IT. I’m more uptight, less fun, distracted, and consumed with little details that in the end don’t add up to a whole hill of beans. Yes, my kids need to brush their teeth and hair, have clean bodies, get an education, and yes, food needs to get in the fridge and on the plate, work needs to get done, money made etc. I get all that. I’m talking about the little tiny hell details that can consume your day and thoughts that really can wait. Maybe taking a quick jog or rolling around on the floor with your kids is more IMPORTANT at that moment then all the pillows getting fluffed. Screw the pillows and all the order we are trying to maintain. How about making a short list of really important things that do need to get done in a day and leave the rest up for negotiation. Taking care of yourself (which does include finding time to exercise and eat well), taking care of your children, loving them and playing with them, finding time to be intimate with your partner, work, general cleanliness of your environment, walking the dog etc. The rest?
I am just starting to realize that LIFE is not meant to be about our chores it’s meant to be about our relationships and experiences. I love working hard and I understand the critical importance of discipline. I’m not talking about sitting on one’s butt sipping a margarita watching the clouds float by. I’m speaking to the idea of incorporating creative living within all the real life stuff we have signed up for. Even if it’s just an extra 30 minute experience in each day, THAT WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE in how we feel our family feels, and our friends feel. Oh and leave your guilt behind. The idea that life is something we are supposed to grind through is preposterous. What is wrong with enjoyment, and approaching each day as it comes and not as it has been scheduled?
I find that women really are the thermostat of their environment, but yet it is the hardest for us to let loose and have a bit of fun. This is where we can really learn from our kids and men to loosen up. I hope and pray that I can be sillier next year then I am at this moment.
I love organization, and efficiency. What a beautiful thing when situations go off as planned and without a hitch. However, I see that happiness is not going to come from that. A walk in a snowy park, or bubble blowing will do more for our spirits then having the weeks entire dinner meals planned out by Sunday night.
Let’s color outside the lines every chance we can, and in ways that enhance our lives and the lives of everyone around us. I would prefer to be more of a beacon of light then a beacon of type A organization.
Best, Gabby