Monday, September 24, 2012

Getting Busy


I've been thinking a lot lately about being busy.  How it seems like everyone around me, myself included, never have enough time to do what we all want to do.  And yet, with all this new technology that supposedly makes us more efficient, shouldn't we be less busy?  Where did all this busyness come from?  What are we all busy doing?  And when did the word 'busy' become so negative?


As for me, this past month or two have in fact been unusually busy.  I preserved 30 jars of peaches, tomatoes, eggs, carrots, beans and garlic scapes.  I hosted a bachelorette party for a pal and 11 of her friends.  I moved my office location from the north part of the city into a west-end suburb.  I attended 2 weddings, one of which I was in the wedding party.  I baked cookies, cupcakes, muffins, bread and scones, attended spinning classes, practiced yoga, met up with friends for dinner and brunch, sewed two baby receiving blankets, knitted hats and mitts, and dyed a shirt with old coffee grounds.  In the end, I suppose I feel satisfied after looking at all the things I've accomplished.  But wouldn't I have felt more relaxed and well-rested if I had never done any of it?  Was it really worth it for all those really late nights, sore feet, tired eyes and undue stress?


Yes.  Yes, it was worth it.  I can truthfully say that I enjoyed slow-roasting those 20 lbs of tomatoes into the wee hours of the morning two nights in a row almost as much as I would watching a good movie.  I would choose hand-sewing party bunting over playing a video game any day.  Catching up with good friends over weekend brunch is like a own mini vacation.  And now that it's all done, I'm going to be busy doing nothing but relaxing, unwinding, reflecting, and revelling in quiet peace.


Sometimes we complain too much about being busy.  But busyness is often a choice that we've made for ourselves. Perhaps we've chosen it because it makes us feel important and useful. Or perhaps we like that it attracts sympathy from others.  But in the end, I think we would all be better off if we could simply enjoy some of the things that we choose to busy ourselves with.

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