Current Favorites
A random photo from one of my Flickr photo albums taken in the Keys…’cause you know, photos are nice!
+Can you Homestead with Kids? from NW Edible Life
+Thoughts on Busy from Elise Blaha Cripe
+My Favorite Organizational Tools from Natalie Creates
+Just You Wait from Elise Blaha Cripe—FYI, never say this to a parent, or at least rephrase it if you are trying to bond/looking to vent about a certain period of parenting. As much as I am looking forward to certain life stages with Forest, I try to live in the moment with him as much as I can. I get each day once.
+Post Trail Depression from fellow AT hikers and newly completed PCT thru-hikers Dormouse and Dirt Stew. It’s real, yo.
+Turn Here, Now There…Canopy Roads of Levy County from Pure Florida. Gah, makes me miss Florida so much! Also, makes me miss Florida winters.
+Favorite Sunrises and Sunsets of 2014 from Adventures of a Vagabond Volunteer
+Foothills Trail Thru-Hike from Rambling Hemlock
+You Know You’re a Hiker When from Section Hiker
3 Comments
chel
For me, the thing I hate about “busy” is when people create endless tasks for themselves that are totally unnecessary and then “complain” about how much they have to do *very* loudly on social media about it.
“I got up at 6am to run 20 miles and then I cooked a full breakfast for all the kids and the husband before I took them all to where they needed to be and then I went to Target to buy their new spring collection on the very morning it was released and then I drove all the way across town to the IKEA to buy a gift for someone who I barely know but I’m so nice that way and then I went to a PTA meeting to plan a fundraiser single-handedly and then I came home and did meal planning for the next six weeks and then I made five different types of cookies to send in to work with my husband tomorrow just because its Wednesday and then I went to yoga class and then I took the kids to every part of their overscheduled afternoons and then I came home and cooked a seven course meal from scratch and then I read to the kids for two hours from a much respected classic children’s novel and then I stayed up three hours after I tucked them in taking online courses to become a Life Coach. And then I was in bed by 10pm with the newest novel that everyone is talking about. What did YOU do today?!”
I know this seems like a complete hyperbole, but I have to be honest in that it’s not *too* far off from some of the crazy stuff I have read lately.
It’s like people are so scared to have an unscheduled moment in their lives. Scared to be alone with themselves, or have some time with their kids when there isn’t a class or an activity planned. And then people start comparing their busy-ness to others’ busy-ness and ramping it up even more.
What I want to know from those people is: when was the last time you and your kid just WANDERED, or just relaxed together, or when was the last time you spent a half an hour just with yourself, no big project or to-do list going on? It’s like they are terrified of open time, of a moment with nothing planned with nothing to strive for, nowhere to go.
I know free time isn’t exactly abundant these days, but when people create ways to make life even more crazy than it needs to be, when they are already frazzled, and then it bleeds over into their kids’ lives (the overscheduling is a BIG pet peeve of mine… kids need time to be bored, to wander, to explore, to make up cool imaginary games and figure out what the magic in the world is without having it delivered to them in the guise of endless after school and weekend organized activities…) and everyone is stressed out because of it, how is it a good thing?
So there’s why I am the person who posts the “stop the glorification of busy!” graphics on Facebook all the time. Being engaged with life is awesome. But *finding* more unpleasant stuff to add to a jammed schedule just for the sake of having bragging rights on facebook … it just makes me sad. I know some people love being busy and fill their days up with stuff that they love doing – cooking complex meals, doing thoughtful things for others, taking care of their families, etc. Heck, I swim two and a half hours a day. But trust me, I don’t look for MORE swimming to do on top of that, you know? That’s kind of what it feels like sometimes.
(sorry for this rant- I’m totally sleepy and I probably will regret hitting “submit comment” tomorrow but I have to admit I feel this way…)
chel
OMG, that was so long- I apologize. I just realized it was 12:30am and I should not be posting anything on any blog- especially not someone else’s. I really apologize :/ (I need to be in bed!)
mlittle
LOL Chel! I totally agree—and half of those mom blogs that post things like that are highly exagerrated! 😉 Me…we do a lot of relaxing around these parts!