Growing up, my grandpa Roger would give me "lecture's." Whenever he wanted to teach me something he alway's prefaced it with, get ready for "lecture #…"There was a point when I felt like I was failing at everything because of all the things I thought I "should" do, and wasn't doing. You know the feeling- when you're sure everyone else's houses, kids, jobs, etc. are perfect, and that you are the sole person who is falling short. I was feeling the weight of trying to do things perfectly, then getting angry at myself when (big shock!) things didn't always go as planned.
When I told my grandpa how I was feeling, he had the appalling gall to laugh at me! This man was a psychologist who graduated from Princeton! Laughing at me-where was the empathy?! And then proceeded lecture #72…Thou Shalt Not Should on Thyself Today!
Actually, that's pretty much the lecture. They were pretty short, sweet, and to the point.
But I have thought about it often. When my to-do list has to-do lists, I have to pow-wow with myself and be reminded of this short lesson. I can do many things, but I cannot do all things. Sometime's I get so busy I forget that it is just as important to "be" as it is to "do", and that finding the balance between those two things is important to my happiness (and sanity!)
So right now, when the house is quiet, I'm going to ignore what I maybe "should" do. Instead, I'm going to grab the book I've been waiting to read and curl up in front of the fireplace for a bit.
The dishes can wait.
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