The Laundry Can Wait

It’s hard to just let anything be. The laundry needs washed and folded, dishes need to be cleaned, the floors swept, meals made, work needs done etc. etc. SOOOO much in our days keep us from doing the things that we enjoy. It is hard to be present when the overwhelming stress of the day to day lays on your shoulders. Looking through my days, I sometimes wonder, “how did I make it through that?” I feel like a robot most days. Get up, get my daughter ready, take her to school, got to work, pick her back up, get everything ready for the next day, make her dinner, sleep a little, some days even go back to work. There is nothing meaningful experienced sometimes. That is not to say that the conversations I have with clients or with my daughter during our times together are not meaningful. Some days those conversations have a profound impact on me. But it is autopilot most days. Counting down the hours till I can sleep just to get up to do it all again. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we feel like we have to accomplish EVERYTHING in one day in order to say, “we did something meaningful with our time?” Was spending that extra 2 hours doing laundry, folding it and putting it away really more important than playing that extra game with your child, or going to dinner with your friends, taking a bath to relax, anything that brings you a sense of peace and happiness. Or are you like me and taking that time brings a flood of overwhelming guilt. The constant thought of “I should have been doing x, y, or z.” We live in a society that tells us how our life should look and be down if we want to be viewed as a success. We live in a society that at the same time tells us that we need to take time for ourselves in order. But then the minute that you do, you are selfish and neglecting your responsibilities. Well you know what, that is complete bullshit. Take that time for yourself because you know what, the laundry is still going to be there tomorrow, the dishes will pile up again, EVERYTHING will start all over the next day. It is okay to take that time for yourself because if you do not put yourself first sometimes, who else is going to do it?