Song of the day:
Video of the day:
I think that’s what I’ve been feeling for the last few weeks. And why I haven’t posted in nearly two weeks.
Over my short vacation at the beginning of the month I did a lot - shopping, renting a storage unit, spa, filling the storage unit, Hamilton. And even though I had a short work week when I returned (two whole days), it nearly did me in. I don’t know if I needed more time away or what, but within five minutes of reading my email I wondered if I’d ever take another vacation day again. I’m still wondering. It was just SO MUCH. And there’s truly no chance I will ever catch up. I’ve stopped believing that’s a possibility. Between the constant stream of email, the days filled with Zoom meetings, and the seemingly never-ending number of unexpected things that come up each day, the actual work rarely gets done until late at night or on the weekend. And it’s simply not sustainable.
I told myself I’d spend last weekend getting a few work things done but all I could manage to do was a few loads of laundry. Mostly I sat on the couch and continued my binge-watch of Heartland. I thought the rest was more important and would help me have a good start to the next week.
But this last week was almost worse, and I think it’s because I went to campus twice and there were SO MANY PEOPLE. It was too much. And I wasn’t prepared. Driving there, parking, going to an empty office (since our stuff hasn’t yet been moved from one building to the other and there’s no furniture)…it disrupted my schedule more than I would have ever expected it to, and I spent this last weekend in the same exhausted state.
Now don’t get me wrong, I also enjoyed seeing several friends over this last week, and actually meeting my new staff in person was nice, as was seeing colleagues, but it was simply a lot more than I had mentally prepared for. I honestly hadn’t thought I needed to prepare but apparently I did.
I’m glad it’s still about a month until the move from one building to the other is scheduled because now I can think about how to prepare for going back to campus on a more regular basis. My schedule will be hybrid in nature, and that’s going to be an adjustment, too.
And of course all of this is on top of the pandemic we’re still living through, the terrifying gubernatorial recall election, fires, floods, hurricanes, Afghanistan, and so on.
I know I’m not alone in feeling overwhelmed by all the things. I know it’s more common now than ever to feel like this. Honestly, writing it all down right now may have actually helped.
Thank goodness there is music to drown out some of the noise, and books to help me step away from reality for a bit. Thank goodness there are a million seasons of Heartland to keep me occupied, and thank goodness for friends who listen and laugh and exchange texts about complete and utter nonsense. Thank goodness for Tik Tok and how it entertains me on a daily basis. Thank goodness that God is in control, not me. Quite frankly, that’s the best news every single day.
So here’s to the last few days of August and the start of a new month. Let’s take it one day at a time…and smile when we can…