Trying to Come up for Air

Yeah, that writing-every-Tuesday thing?  I haven't been so great at that, have I?

It's not for lack of topics.  I've had a ton going on, and I'm sure much of it could have easily enough been adapted to a New England Mamas sort of slant.  Back-to-school, health concerns, mother-in-law issues... it's been a busy few months. 

And that busy-ness, by itself, is no excuse, because I've been busy for the past several years and anticipate remaining so for the foreseeable future.  I've been able to keep up with my own blog, my children have been clothed and fed, my house is not in complete disarray.  Things are getting done.  And yet somehow I haven't been posting here.

Don't feel too bad; I've been neglecting other pockets of my life, as well.  I've all but stopped reading anything new or interesting; news, novels, magazines, online essays... if it's going to force my brain to accept any expansion whatsoever, I studiously avoid it.  Which is odd for me, because I can recall, once upon a time, enjoying the experience of learning new things and challenging myself.  Now?  No, thanks, I'm good right here with my complacency, thanks.  I've been lackluster in most email correspondance, though my inbox is crammed full of notes that I'll reply to any minute now.  Just you wait.

I think I normally run at a very high level of competency, and in recent months, I've been edging dangerously close to capacity.  Rather than slow down and admit that I'm juggling too much, because I honestly don't know which of these balls I can safely drop for a beat, I have quietly waylaid a few priorities - always things that are important to me, alone, and not especially important to the people around me, because that's what happens to moms, isn't it?  For a while I didn't even recognize that I had laid aside those pursuits, until 11:00 p.m. on a Tuesday would roll by and I would thump myself in the forehead for having forgotten to post, here, again.  Until I make it to the library and discover that the book  I wanted is no longer in the "New Releases" section.  Until I go to reply to an old email and have it bounced back, "unknown address." 

I'm not sure that there will be an immediate solution, but I'm hoping that awareness, and public acknowledgment thereof, is, if not half the battle, at least a reasonable first step. 

Comments

[Maddy]

I think that with the start of the new school year one of the things I plan to do is to practice saying 'no' ever so politely.

I'm always so enthusiastic at the beginning and take on far more than I can realistically manage.
Best wishes

[gina]

We limit our kids (four girls) to one activity outside of school at a time. Though it's tough to make them choose, it's well worth it to see them still have time to read and draw and play in their(and mine!) FREE time.