Borrowed this post (:

I follow Sydney from The Daybook, and today she wrote an amazing post about being busy in today's society, and I just wanted to share it.. And I'm totally going to read that book she refers to.. as soon as this week of school is over (: Anyways, here it is!

Recently, I started slowwwwwly reading a book called, The Lonely American: Drifting Apart in the Twenty-First Century which discusses social isolation and the effects of living in a culture that idealizes busyness and self-reliance. {Really fascinating read. I highly recommended it!} So far, the part that's resonated the most with me is the chapter on our obsession with busyness. As I was reading, it got me thinking about how often I reply with "busy" when Tyson asks me how my day was, or when my family asks how things have been lately. They've been good - but busy. I complain about being stressed, about having too much on my plate, about never QUITE reaching the end of my to-do list. But for some bizarre reason, there's a sort of pride in it too. Mentally checking the boxes on my list, rattling off which aspects of work, home and baby filled the hours of my day. It's like "busy" has become socially synonymous with "thriving" or "fulfilled" or "successful" even. When in actuality, it can feel awfully muddled and draining at the end of the day as you peer over into the next day of "busy".

Of course, busyness is an essential and inevitable part of making a living or raising a family. But it's the pace that I find the most challenging to manage. I find myself working in unhealthy bursts of on and off. An imbalance of a high-intensity push and a guilt-ridden calm. Sometimes even my favorite "calm" moments, like story time with my baby boy, have been tarnished by the back of my mind reminding me of other things that I need to "get done". "Getting things done" has become my accidental and uninspiring mantra for day-to-day living, covering up my underlying daily desire to feel connected to myself and my different roles {especially as a mother and a wife}, my family and friends, my community, and the life I want to live.

I don't want to use "busy" anymore, as a filler word or as a social status or whatever it is. So I've made three small goals to help me get rid of the "busy", slow down and refocus on the people I love and the kind of life I was trying to live in the first place.

1. Put down the emails and the phone after 6pm. Just put it away! Read a book, rock a baby, have a meal without distraction.
2. Be OK with untidiness. Become one with it ;) Most of the time it's going to happen and it's alright.
3. Take at least a half hour each day to focus on myself spiritually and physically.

Isn't that awesome!? I love her goals too. I've been trying to do number one especially this week as I'm stressing my brains out trying to do tons of procrastinated homework, and when Cody comes home, I just let it go. Pretend that I was at work in the morning, and I'm leaving it all behind to be with him. It's keeping me sane, thank goodness!

And I might post about my trip to Washington, maybe not. But it was awesome, my birthday was grand, and my life rocks! I'll write again maybe next week? Love ya!