How does one find balance in a world that has created a new word that for me makes my head spin......multi-tasking. I couldn't even find it in the dictionary, so I'm led to believe in a world that is so busy, someone had to invent a word that describes the craziness. Of course you realize that once a word is incorporated into our daily lives, and we see what it actually involves on a daily basis, we feel the need to jump in and take part in the craziness. Is this the way God intended our lives to be? My answer....absolutely not. He never planned for any of us to do so many things at one time that we are run ragged to the point of not being able to simply enjoy the moments that are so precious......or that we used to consider precious. Whatever we find to keep us busy has allowed us to push aside those moments in hopes of keeping up with whoever or whatever the world dictates, not what we really and truly want.
I don't believe we intentionally mean to push those people and things aside, it just happens in a blink of an eye, all with the excuse of needing more money. Well, the problem with that, is obvious to me. The more money you make, the more money you spend, until your life is a vicious circle, gaining ground just to quickly lose it. And it's very easy as well to start spending money you don't have on credit, then finding the need to work even more to pay for those things we really didn't need, we just wanted. We get focused on a particular lifestyle we want to lead, and it becomes more about hanging onto that lifestyle then actually living a life where we enjoy the simple things like peace, joy, contentment and time to spend with those we love and care about.
So how to get out of this mode of spinning is the real question. Honestly it's really about choice. We really choose how busy we want to be, and it's usually based on how much money we need to live a certain lifestyle. Some people want a lot of nice things and the freedom to go or do whatever they want, and some are content to work enough to live a very simple life with more time to relax and experience peace of mind.
Now there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting nice things, or having money to travel or even participating in whatever sparks your interests, but what could possibly be wrong with throwing in a whole day, here and there, of simply having nothing planned. Filling up the day planner is the usual, with names, times, and places to be, but what if you were able to leave it blank on purpose, even choose in advance a day that you claim to be yours. No one is allowed to call you, stop by, or expect anything from you on this day, unless it involves blood or the hospital. And it doesn't matter what the outside world thinks about your plan, because it is in fact the reason why you must try this, to get away from the pace you have fallen into that the world has set up.
Even if you can't take that big of a step and use a whole day for yourself, you can learn to incorporate little snippets of time throughout your day where you simply stop and breathe, step outside a door, take your lunch to a park instead of being around the busy-ness, listen to something soothing on your phone or guided imagery on the computer. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to find something that is soothing to watch or listen to for just 20 minutes or so, to slow the mind down, practice your breathing, and let go of the stress that your day brings.
It's also important in the midst of this to set priorities each day. What is really important here today, that I race around with my child in the car going to yet another activity or outing, or offering a whole day to the child inside your home, to do whatever they would like to do....and then fully participate in the activity, whatever it may be. Hopefully finding new ways to connect with them without the phone sitting next to you, or the television on, just offering something a bit different. This is where the child learns how important it is to have downtime, away from all the chaos, to get your full attention, with no one in a hurry. A wonderful time to have conversations, to develop their ability to communicate their needs and how they feel about things in their little world.
So the next time you look at your calendar, and it's filled with black ink, ask yourself if it might be a good idea to leave one of those days completely blank, and then think about in advance how you would like to spend it away from all the chaos and multi-tasking that you really do have control over. We all know how to say no, and we all know what sort of life we would truly like to lead, where we would like to live, and who we want around us. Don't let the busy-ness of multi-tasking and chaos drowned out what you know is right....choose balance and a gentler life.
