Breathless

Do you even just feel overwhelmed with all there is to get done?

And then you feel overwhelmed by all the overwhelmed-ness?

I hope I’m not the only one.

Right now the thing that’s weighing on me most is Christmas shopping.

I am not an early bird shopper and I used to LIKE to do it during the month of December but now, with three children and a husband who works A LOT, it’s more of a burden than much fun.

Yesterday Tim had to go to work for a while during the day and then back at night. It doesn’t help that December is a busy time for him at his job.

While he was gone at one point I looked around my kitchen and could hear the laundry going and thought of the next load that needed to be folded and put away and thought about the dishwasher needing to be emptied and all the shopping I had yet to do and how messy the house was and well, I was…

Breathless.

I found myself literally holding my breath while standing at the kitchen sink.

And then I took a big long, deep breath and thought,

“Why do we do this to ourselves?”

It just seems we’ve come to a point in our society when we’ve gone and made it this way, when it doesn’t have to be. It’s our own fault (although I’m also going to blame it on the television and media making us feel like we have to HAVE it all and DO it all and BE it all…).

I just WISH I could simplify my life some. I think one thing that would help is if my kids and even Tim and I had less STUFF and clothes. Then there would be less to fold! AHA! I’m so brilliant…

And I also think that at this time of year (as cliche as it may sound) we MUST stop and remember what CHRISTmas really is all about.

I’m doing my best to focus on it but it’s hard when I know that I’m expected to get my children certain gifts and their teachers even. (I hope they are good with peppermint bark because I think that’s what they are getting this year…).

And it’s just hard in general to not feel overwhelmed at times.

But then I also realize that I’m so, SO blessed to have these wonderful people in my life to wash and fold clothes for, and then things become more clear in my mind again and it’s easier to breathe…