Going Against the Current

Have you ever felt like you were walking upstream?  Have you ever walked in a river or tried to swim in a river going against the current?  It is tough and the river is constantly trying to push you backwards.  That is how I have been feeling this summer.  Summer should be a fun and relaxing time for our family, but so far it hasn't (except for 4 short days which I will mention in another post).  Every morning when I wake up, I feel like I am running in that river trying to go upstream and I don't seem to get anywhere.  My To Do list seems to grow and multiply overnight.  Each morning I try to decide what NEEDS to get done that day and then do my best to get those things done.  Do I succeed every day?  NO.  Am I ok with that?  Not always.  But, what I have decided is that EVERYTHING isn't ALWAYS going to get done.  My standards may have to be lowered.  It will be ok if the floors haven't been mopped.  It is ok to go to bed with a living room full of toys.  It is ok if I didn't get the mail read today.  I will go to bed and try again tomorrow.  I have also learned not to say YES to everything and everyone.  I have learned the things that I really enjoy and the things that I don't, I have to let go.  I have learned to delegate jobs to the kids.  These jobs may not be done the way I like them to be done, but at least they are done.  The kids are learning responsibility and I have one less chore to do.  I have also learned that I need time to relax.   After putting the kids to bed, I could do dishes or laundry, but instead that is my "meltdown" time with my husband.  We may watch TV, read, surf the internet, or just visit.  I need that time before I go to bed. 

I may still be running upstream everyday, but some days I actually make some headway, like today.  I put on the ipod and focused for 2 hrs on CLEANING MY HOUSE!  I had really let that go the last few weeks and sadly, it showed!  Kids rooms picked up, bathrooms cleaned, floors swept and mopped, etc etc.  Boy do I feel better.  It is amazing how lighter you feel and how much more motivated you feel once you have a clean house!  I feel like I can tackle a few more projects before we head out the door for ball games and play rehearsal tonight.

So, if you feeling like you are going against the current of life.  It's ok, so are lots of other moms.  It is all a balance.  Everybody these days is busy.  It doesn't matter if you are 18 or 80, single or married, parents or grandparents.  Everyone is busy.  But each of us has to figure out the busyness in our own way.  Yeah, some days I don't handle it very well, and yell, get short with the kids, or even cry, but most days I am just like everyone else, getting through it all, one task at a time.