Often, people ask me "How are you?" and I reply "Really busy, but good." The truth is that I am really busy, and I believe the things I am busy with are worthwhile, empowering, and for the greater good--or I wouldn't bother with them. But, on reflecting on the Pinterest pin, I realized that busy for busyness's sake may not doing anybody any good.
The pin arose from a blog written by Melissa Ramos, an acupuncturist and nutritionist, published in The Huffington Post on November 19, 2013. The post was titled, "Let's Stop the Glorification of Busy" and this was, not coincidentally, the verbiage of the Pinterest pin I encountered. Ramos's point is that we cannot continue to lead truly fulfilling lives if we are so busy with incessant minutiae that we fail to live our lives in significant and important ways.
The Pinterest pin also reminded me of a tongue-in-cheek comment my mother made several years ago about ensuring she had so many projects to do so that she couldn't die until she had completed them all. I laughed at the time mom made the comment, but have found myself adopting this philosophy (again, somewhat tongue-in-cheek) to justify the myriad projects I embroil myself in.
I often lament that I need about 36 hours in each day to accomplish all that I need to do. I remember, somewhat awestruck, the period of my life when I survived for six months on three hours of sleep every night due to an over-committed schedule while I finished my student teaching and credential. I chastise myself for missing appointments I "forgot" that I really ended up missing because I couldn't make my schedule mesh the way I needed it to.
The truth is that I feel the need to be busy so much that I find myself feeling a bit lost and confused when I don't have "enough" to do. I almost crave a hectic schedule. When I'm all "caught up," I wander around wondering which of my remaining projects I should start on and find it difficult to make a decision about which project to tackle next. So, I find myself over-scheduling yet again so I can have the pressure of the impending deadline to comfort me. And, I do really good work under that pressure.
Is this over-scheduling exhausting? Yes. Do I sometimes wish I could unwind? Of course. Are parts of my life suffering from my busyness? Maybe... Do I really need to change anything? Um...not sure. Do I find fulfillment in the projects I engage? ABSOLUTELY--why else would I do this to myself?
I'm not really sure that being busy is a bad thing, but the Pinterest pin nags at the back of my mind anyway. This is good because that nagging has allowed me to begin to do some things just to recharge my spirit and reconnect with the reasons I commit myself to the projects I do. The truth is that I have become, like many 21st century moms, a really good plate spinner.
I think that we over extend ourselves during some chapters in our lives. I am now retired and have slowed down considerably. Do I miss the busyness? Not really, but I miss how much I used to get done, says the lady who in her 40s did a 28 unit upper level semester at SDSU. At different times of your life you can extend yourself like that. But with time, you get to figure out that the busyness is not what you will miss....but you will miss telling your kids as they walk out the door to have a happy day. This time passes so quickly - its a chapter in a fulfilling life story.
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