Priorities

It's never easy finding balance while juggling an endless number of wants, musts, and needs. And some months are worse than others. This September takes the cake. I am away more than I am at home, and so I don't end up turning into a complete basket case, I not only have to say, "NO!" to a million different things, I have to be able to say it without letting the guilt eat away at me from the inside. If I let the guilt get to me, than I will be no better off than if I decided to give up sleeping, eating, and personal hygiene in order to find enough time to get everything done.

Where does one start when you find yourself at home, with a million things to do, and only one day to fit it all in? Just analyzing the situation costs invaluable units of time, something I just can't afford.

So I'm making it easy for myself. I decided that my kids have been without their mother enough this week. This Saturday, I will not allow myself to say, "I can't come just now; I have to (choose one of the following): clean, cook, work, pick up, wash, garden.." Neither will they hear me say, "Mommy's too tired right now."

My kids have more insight than most highly paid psychologists. They sense so easily when their mother is on edge, and instinctively they usually back off, afraid that one false move might be the straw that broke the maternal camel's back. I don't want them to tiptoe anxiously just because Mommy has a job that is in an extremely intense period for the moment. I don't want them to have to wait until December's vacation for us to function as a family.

So dustbunnies - this one's for you! For at least one more week you can enjoy spreading yourselves out under our beds and furniture as you shamelessly fornicate and multilply in the different corners of our house. Bushes! You can continue to expand your branches and hang unevenly over the fence by the patio. Dirty clothes - relax in the quiet sanctuary of the hamper in the laundry room. Need I say more?

OK, then. Time for me to take a shower so that my son and I can enjoy the beautiful weather outside and drive in to town. Our plans: Lego-shopping and cake-eating at the bakery.

Om shanti.