Have I found a rope or have I lost a horse???

Have you ever just thought that life was so hectic that it literally makes your head spin? I feel like sometimes that I need to schedule a time just to take a deep breath! I feel too like I stay between pillars and posts just trying to balance everything! I put myself in that position of wondering around aimlessly with a rope looking for a horse! Or in better terms put myself in the position of having too much to do and too little time to do it.

I wonder sometimes - when did life get to be this busy? Maybe when I was younger I just don’t remember my mom running around like a chicken with her head cut off. I’m sure that she was busy taking care of three kids that all within 4 years of each other. I guess I just didn’t realize all that she had to do.

It’s my own fault some would say because I can’t seem to tell people no. I keep getting myself put on committees, keep saying yes when my kids ask to get involved in yet another extracurricular activity, and so forth. I can’t help it – I just push myself beyond my own limits – either out of stupidity or out of the constant desire to prove to myself that I “can” take on one or two more things and not go completely crazy in the process.

When someone asks though – “why are you so stressed?” I just want to climb on top of them and smack them repeatedly until I at least feel a little better J

Let’s see – I’m a single Mom with two kids still involved in sports and schools activities. I’m on a wellness committee at work helping 3 other people “whip our county government back into good physical shape”. I serve at the Republican vice-chair of the 3^rd district and have sat on the executive committee for almost 10 years, (although I have so many irons in the fire with ballgames that it’s not fair to blame anything on that position because I rarely get to have a night off for the monthly meeting!) I’m getting ready to put the 3^rd child in braces so there’s another monthly appointment that I will have to fit in my schedule, and I’m not even going to go into the fact that Kailee’s first prom is around the corner and Eli will be starting high school basketball in just a matter of months. Oh and how could I forget that I am the First Lady of the fine town of Tellico Plains? (One of my favorite jobs – but like so many others no pay involvedJ)

Please don’t think that I am trying to project myself as a super hero because by any means at all I am not that. I just get myself overloaded – like a lot of us do sometimes and I don’t know when to say “Ok I’ve got a full plate – I can’t do anymore.”  I realize that these are all things that I take on myself. I run, run and run until sometimes I’m running on empty and feel like I really haven’t accomplished anything at all and that could be prevented if I would just swallow my pride and ask for help from time to time - I just choose not to most of the time. And then there are times when someone just says “Let me do that for you” and to be honest – I don’t mind at all!

I think it’s great to be productive – to give of yourself every chance that you can. I think you should be involved in your community and I full heartily believe that if you are a parent that you should by all means sacrifice every spare minute that you can get and give it to your children – especially while they are young. But sometimes we get so busy with so many things that we can’t give the attention that we need to things that are important like spending time with your family and those that you love. In fact sometimes I feel ashamed that my mother lives less than 300 yards from me and I don’t just take the time to just go visit with her. Maybe one of these days – I’ll learn to say “I’m sorry I just don’t have the time.” And maybe – just maybe I’ll slow down enough to enjoy the simple things in life like just sitting in my living room with the kids watching a movie, going on a drive through the mountains with Patrick or most all going to visit my mom.