One of those days
Posted at 10:14 am on August 18, 2009 by Catherine
Today was not technically busier than any other day. I needed to take care of my kids, do some laundry, feed meals to the family, and find a few hours to devote to my “real” (paying) job.
But somehow, there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Things all need to be done at once – toddler to the potty, infant to the breast, dinner prepping, clothes washing, emails answered. When I can’t find a way to be two (or five) places at once, a back-log occurs. None of these things can be skipped – not potty, nursing, dinner – and time just keeps on ticking.
Dinner, supposed to be served at 6pm, wasn’t on the table until 7:15pm. Boys bedtime, which ought to start at 7pm, didn’t come around until well after 9pm. My shower, already at least a day overdue, didn’t get squeezed into the schedule until sometime after that. By then we were nearly at B‘s 10pm feeding and long past the end of my day’s energy.
But the dishes are still piled around the sink and counter. The toys are scattered around the house. The laundry is clean, but unfolded and wrinkled, spilling over the couch. There is mail waiting to be opened. Rebates and bills needing to be mailed. Emails that need to be read and responded to. Messes that need to be cleaned. I could say “just let it go for today” but my husband is bringing guests home for dinner tomorrow night. Tomorrow’s dinner needs to be prepped, and I’ve just realized that a trip to the store is required before I can even do that.
And don’t even mention the piles of books around the house I haven’t found time to read – books that will tell me how to raise my boys better, feed my family better, schedule my priorities better. Don’t even mention the friendships and hobbies that come with their own expectations and deadlines. Don’t even mention the fact that I would desperately love a moment or two to myself, or some time with my husband.
I believe that life is about work, and we shouldn’t be surprised to find our days full of it. But I also believe that, since we can’t make the day longer than 24 hours, we shouldn’t ask ourselves to do more than can fit into those hours. Yet here I am at the end of the day and there is still so much that I have to somehow find the time to do.
Deep breath.
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