Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Too Many Impossible Things

I had such high hopes for this past long weekend. I had hoped to completely scratch a few big jobs off of my never ending to-do list. As yesterday was drawing to a close and the biggest job of all was far from complete ... I was a little deflated.

All in all, I put my focus where I needed it to be. A relaxed pace, time for exercise and eating properly, time spent with Kurt, a few 'impossible things' that I can't do when I have a house full of kids are done, I put in a day of book-keeping work and I got a good start at transcribing the taped conversations that I have, into writing.

I didn't waste my time, nor did I fly through the days in a frantic pace. I accomplished a lot. I just set my sights on an impossible goal.

The big jobs are the heaviest toll on my energy. I just have to admit that I must break it down into small pieces and accomplish a little every day. I love tackling a job head on and finishing it. The slow and steady pace just isn't my style. But I must concede that it is the route I must take in tackling the 4 hours (that I have left) worth of 'memories' that I want to put in writing.

As the weekend was 2/3rds of the way over, I knew what I was lacking. People. I had a 10 minute phone conversation and possibly a 5 minute face to face encounter with another adult being to that point. I felt dull and lifeless. Even in my kid-oriented weekday world, I have a relatively steady flow of adult conversation as the parents come and go.

My thoughts had gone stale and the words that came out of my fingertips weren't worth sharing. I tried writing a few emails and I ended up deleting them. Even I was bored with the words that sat in front of me as I typed.

It's all about balance. Some work, some R & R, some play and some contact with people is the best combination to ensure a good mixture of everything one needs to keep a healthy state of mind.

Not that I'm complaining. This weekend played out exactly how I had it choreographed in my mind. I just should have added a bit of company into the mix.

Onward. Take what I've learned and pay it forward.

#1 - Big jobs are best tackled one step at a time
#2 - I am not an island. I need people in my life

I must now focus on all that I did accomplish and whittle the big jobs down to a manageable level. Tackling those impossible things feels great. Getting overwhelmed by those same tasks isn't quite so wonderful.

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