You’re kidding!!

:)

No . . . in a way I sympathize. I have so much to do, but none of it feels important or interesting. Make cupcakes, clean toilets, wash bottles. It’s busy, but it still boring. And trying to bring meaning to it (this is for my kids) doesn’t always help.

This sounds a bit simple, but are some of the things on the “must do” list things that can be shifted to the “would be nice to do” list? From what I’ve gathered, Kristine, the way you live your life registers comfortably in the “supererogatory” range.

When I was facing my PhD candidacy exam (oral), about a month before I became more or less petrified. I had been studying for months, and I knew I knew some things, but I really didn’t know if I was on track. I’d never had an exam like this one. With no clear sense of what kind of preparation would be enough, I found it impossible to relax. Of course, not having taken an exam like that one, no amount of preparation would have been enough for me to feel confident I was prepared — there was no way for me to know! This anxiety began to make it difficult to study effectively, so I really had to confront my feelings. Then I remembered that it would be possible to be a decent human being and not have a PhD! I realized that passing orals is supererogatory! I’m a volunteer in academia. Suddenly I could approach orals as a welcome challenge again. Aren’t you a volunteer in a lot of your aspirations?

I have nothing but time, being out of work and with just one little one who’s in school now, but there was so much to do that I was paralyzed. Now, there are still problems with some spaces in the house (I’ve yet to exert my will to keep the family room neat), but my kitchen is always clean, the bedrooms are always pleasant, and we always have clean underwear. And I have a lot more time to goof off on the ‘net.

Today, I’m finishing up my setting of the Articles of Faith.

I still have the PDA and I sometimes even use it. But the PDA seems to actually just exist as a reminder that I need to remember my appointments.

I like the feeling of having an eternity to get things done. That kind of perspective of eternity makes me feel like I’m on a beach, looking at a beautiful blue sky and really nothing to worry about. Things will sort themselves out in time. Right? :)

For now though, I have to get back to work.

Everything else, you’ll find, doesn’t really matter.

In the end, the only people who really care about you are your family members. Why try to impress everybody else?

This may be smarmier than you can handle, but it worked for me:

I was reading a book called _Never Done_ which is a history of housework and the author quoted one of those terrifically amusing 19th century housekeeping manuals. The book said that in figuring out what to do in a day (“one’s duty”), one should have a mental list and then remove from that list anything that was impossible (given time, money, energy, etc.) to get done. By definition, if it is impossible, it isn’t your duty.

I liked this, in its quaintness.

I really like it, now extremely pregnancy and operating at about 60% of physical energy and 70% of mental energy.

Kristine, do you feel satisfaction in the things that you do accomplish?