Feeling the Heat
When a young choir member asked me for a ride home after our rehearsal last night, I immediately agreed but inwardly groaned at the thought of spending an extra 20 minutes to drive out of my way when I was way beyond TIRED.The is an altogether too familiar feeling – this feeling of burning the candle at both ends and suddenly feeling the heat.
There is an end in sight – when we go to France in mid-October – but that’s still 6 weeks away. In those 6 weeks I’m performing in my works-in-progress piano group on Sunday, taking weekly French lessons, chairing the Temple Micah High Holy Days, going to two choir rehearsals a week, while I continue to Blog daily, work 40 hours a week, do regular meditation and yoga, and exercise when I’m not totally exhausted.
So what do I do to change this situation? Give up Blogging – no way! Take a break from music – out of the question! Work part-time – not an option!
I find myself once again in the position of bitching about being overextended, but not being willing or able to fix it.
These 6 weeks will go by one way or the other. Some things will get short-shrift. But probably no one will notice or care.
I keep wondering what happens when the two flames meet in the middle? I don’t think I want to find out...
posted by Barbara at 12:11 PM
6 Comments:
I know the feeling. Don't know if this make sence but in Norway we have a saying: Stop knocking you'r head on the wall, find the door!
And you are going to France! Why don't pay Norway a visit while your at Europe then:-)
Renny -- Remember I can't go back to Norway because I am a fugitive: I got a $300 speeding ticket in 2003 that I never paid. They continued to send me demands for more and more money. Then they finally gave up. But I'm convinced that I will be turned away at the border or hauled off to jail if I visit Norway again! What a pity...
Well just keep on a bitchin' woman! Just take some time after you go to France.
When's your trip to France?! I'm on mine now and even six days into it, I feel like I'm still burning on both ends. Good thing I've got another holiday coming up. (And I can't go back to New Zealand for the same reason you can't go back to Norway. I'm sure I'll be incarcerated.)
Take care of yourself!
As I get oldeer, I find that I have less and less time.
I suspect this is because we throw our life out of balance - primarily through work.
Once we become extremely lopsided, it becomes difficult to continue to function. I can envision much better ways of working; the 8 hour day is arbitrary - some days we need more, others we need less.
For me, a 3 day work week would be grand or perhaps working from say 10 till 2 five days a week, but certainly not 8 hours (or more), 5 days (or more) a week.
Joseph Pieper in his philosophical essay titled: "Leisure: The Basis of Culture" argues that we have eschewed leisure (not to be confused with idleness) for work and consequently are harming ourselves. He regards the commandment to keep the Sabbath as a prescription to "rest in God" rather than a prescription for idle distraction (television, cinema, amusement parks, etc).
I suppose when the two ends meet, you get hemorrhoids.
My father always warned us not to burn the candle at both ends but he never said how not to do that! it's hard to set priorities..I guess you just have to maximize joy whatever activity you're doing and try to get through the ones you really don't love. This is hard if the one you really dislike is your job or career...you need to look at a new career because we do spend a lot of time at work. The people in my life come first.
We are pulled in too many directions!
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