Catching up?

I am amazed late, at the number of people that I talk to, that all say that they feel as if they can never catch up. Is our society on fast forward? Is Satan getting the best of us by keeping us so busy? Sister M


The feelings we experience of anxiety, frustration, and stress from never being caught up are common to all women, especially in the Church. Yes, we can work faster, plan better, and keep at our tasks longer, but for the most part, I have found most women need to shed some of their current activities in order to have a more peaceful, productive life.

When I counsel women, we work to shave off 10% of their current responsibilities. This makes a tremendous difference in their workload and pressures. They actually begin to feel in control, capacitated, and productive. For instance, we lower standards for fanciness (just a handout next time they teach instead of a handout, treat, and visual aids), we work to do twice as much half as often (such as when cooking meals), and we do repetitive activities with the thought of making it professional (the usefulness of permanent lists and printed forms comes into play here).

I have also found that too many women are trying to have all of life's seasons at the same time. If you are single, enjoy that season. If you are a young mother, enjoy that season and focus on being a great mother for the next however many years. If you are an empty nester, enjoy the freedom and focus on pleasures and possibilities that only that season brings. In any season, some things have to be left undone and some things can be discarded because of lack of interest. You don't have to be like anyone else. You can be just you.

I remember the moment recently when I realized, again, that is it up to me to say "no", "later", "maybe never" when life's many possibilities crowded too close to what mattered most to me. No I won't learn to play the harp right now, yes I will accept an invitation to spend an evening out with sister, no I won't accept that party invitation but will send a gift instead. Yes, I will teach, but will ask for help with handouts and room setup. I can choose. I must. Life is sweet, but we must keep it that way with plenty of firm "nos" so we can enjoy all the possible "yeses."

Take care now, Sister M
Address your questions to marie@houseoforder.com.