As I sit here, typing this, it's 7.29pm and I'm sitting at my desk at work. I've been home, cooked dinner, turned around and come back for another set of meetings that will finish around 10pm.
I'm tired. And overwhelmed.
And I know that I shouldn't be because my life isn't exactly a hardship. In fact, for me of you out there (starting with any one who has a child or more than one!), my life is easy.
And I'm not even sure why I am, because I used to be that girl. I was that girl who crammed a three year degree into two and a half years, while working two jobs, while training for a marathon. And somewhere along the way I've lost her.
And in a way it's a good thing because that girl was manic and needed to learn how to take a breather. But in another way it's not so good because I have so many things that I want to try and fit in but seem to have lost the ability to do it.
So my question today is a very simple one.
How do you do it?
Yes, you. You know who you are.
You, who work, and have a family, churn out a manuscript a year and train for half marathons in your spare time.
You, who have five kids, and serve at a soup kitchen, and write award winning novels with one hand whilst doing the ironing with the other.
You who have a job, and a family, and babysit your grandkids and cook meals from scratch and teach Sunday School, and exercise, and maintain friendships and a marriage, and still make every soccer game and school production.
How do you do it?
Hi Kara,
ReplyDeleteI'm not one of the women you mention as examples, but I used to be (except for the award winning novels part ) and I got really, really tired. Then I went through a period of grief where I gave up all but the things I had to do -- friendships languished, I stopped volunteering, life was just work, sleep and eat. Took about ten years. Then I retired, got more sleep, set my own timetable, and my joy has returned. (Still no award winning mss but I'm having fun.)
From your picture, I surmise you are much younger than I but I would suggest you take some vacation time then look at your life to make sure you're getting enough sleep. Ponder your job and see if it's fulfilling. Examine those friendships and see if they nurture you. Then pick three things that lift your soul and go after them with gusto.
Best,
Kara, I wrap my arms around you for a big hug, then offer you a comfy chair and a cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteI am not that woman of whom you speak. I've seen glimpses of her, but never in the mirror.
I sometimes wonder, is that woman healthy? Is she walking in peace, in the calm assurance that she is living the life she was meant for? Because if she is, then the strength and the ideas and the drive come from God, so long as she is grounded in Him.
God has made us resilient. Our own drive can take us quite far sometimes. We are made in God's image, which I believe to include our imagination, but we need His fuel for it.
You've had a busy, life-altering year, Kara. I prayerfully suggest you take a step back. Consider what you need to do. Your priorities are God and family. You may well need to help support your family. If there's nothing left in your well when those needs are met, I suggest you look at all the things you WANT to do and determine which of them will help you focus most on God and your family. Ask God for strength to do so.
Don't be fooled by SuperWoman. She has her own struggles and situations that the rest of us mere mortals cannot fathom.
Take heart, Kara. And if you can, take a little break.