April 24, 2013

How busy are you?

This is what my planner looked like 2 weeks ago.

This is what it looks like next week.

I'm happy not to be "to-do-list busy", if only for a week, because we'll be traveling.

I read this article (linked to it through Thought Catalog) and this quote, I feel, describes me perfectly.

"I am not busy. 
I am the laziest ambitious person I know." 

I have ambition.  I have a lot of things I'd like to accomplish, and I'm working on it.  But I don't like to "make" myself busy.

I spent a lot of time by myself last summer.  In fact, my parents and my husband would be horrified at how much time I spent alone.  With my thoughts.  With my computer.  With my t.v.  Or sometimes just sitting on the deck (desperately trying to tan) basking in the sun and thinking how lucky I was that it had hit 68 degrees that day.  Sometimes I just wandered the neighborhood (on sunny days only) taking pictures of flowers.  My social interaction came from the gym classes I would go to, so I was leaving the house at least once everyday.  But looking back on that time, I really enjoyed it.   I didn't enjoy that Scott was so far away.  I didn't enjoy that I was *stuck* in Alaska.  But I enjoyed having the time to just "be".  I'm assuming (and hoping) I'll never get that chance again so, deployment aside, it's a time I can look back on fondly in a really weird way.

I remember staying up all night to watch an entire season to True Blood.  And doing the same to watch an entire season of Downton a week later.  Cutting and raking the grass by myself all summer long.  Practicing Turbokick and taking the instructor certification course.  Reading through a stack of books.  Painting my toenails on the deck, on a rare sunny day.  Concocting new drinks and desserts whenever I felt moved to do so.  Making random Target runs for candy and clearance rack browsing.

I suppose my point is that last summer is the least busy I've ever been.  Since it was during deployment, I worried a lot.  I cried.  I had pity parties for myself that involved lots of junk food. But looking back, it wasn't that bad.  Like, not at all.

Last summer was when this blog started to grow.  I networked.  I made friends with other bloggers.  You know why?  Because I WASN'T busy.  I had the time to decide what I wanted out of my blog.  My best writing, I felt, started to come out last summer, while I had time to loll around.  Time to think and ponder my situation, my hobbies, and my desires.

So yeah, I'm excited.  Excited to not have 18 phone calls to make every day.  Excited not to have 18 tasks to cross off my to-do list each day.  A lot of this is associated with my job, so when I leave my job, a lot of the to-do's will also go away.  I'm excited to just "be".  To travel.  To take pictures.  To have experiences.  Will it be stressful?  Yes.  The last time we drove the Alaska-Canadian Highway, it was very stressful, but it was fun.  I had a Mexican-Chicken Ranch-style salad and a margarita for dinner every night at a different restaurant, in a different state than the day before.   My pessimist side says at least 4 things will go wrong per day.  The optimist in me is willing to admit that things will go wrong and that's okay.

Do you think our culture makes us busy?  Do we even want to be busy?  I can't lie:  This week IS busy.  

But I wore shorts comfortably the other day.  That's what 48* will do to you I guess.


Sharing at Walkabout Wednesday


16 comments:

  1. This is a really great post, Kristin, so honest and real. I definitely do think our culture keeps us busy with "stuff" and I much prefer days/weeks when I can loll and enjoy the little things. I hope you guys have an amazing trip to kick off the next part of your lives.

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  2. I keep seeing things on Pinterest that are all, "stop the glorification of busy!" and I'm all, "I'd go insane if I wasn't!" But I can agree that being busy for the sake of being busy isn't healthy. Busy and productive are totally different. And I prefer the latter. ;)

    Have fun on your roadtrip!

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  3. I have this urge to do do do all day long. It's hard for me to have a down day. Really, my days where I say I "did nothing" usually consist of vacuuming, trips to the park, and maybe swinging by the post office or something. It's hard for me to do nothing... very hard.

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  4. yeah for sunshine! :) sometimes I feel like we are so busy and I can't wait for weekends or weeknights at home without committments. but those are all choices that we make to fill our schedule. and some of the things I don't have to go to but do. summer is always such a great time for me because I get a lot of alone time which i love and much more freedom of how to spend my days!

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  5. Have fun getting out of there! Sometimes I have to force myself to not be busy and I always find it refreshing. I also like my alone time, whenever we have company in town, the day after they leave, I inform kev that I won't be conversing for 24 hours.

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  6. Great post!!! I find myself always wanting to be busy. I enjoy the constant flow of things and if I can find a class or something to do on post, I will just because I have a hard time sitting still for too long.

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  7. Hey we have matching busyness in our planners ;)

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  8. Seriously. Our society asks us to be so many things and busy is definitely one of them. I had a time where I didn't do anything either and it was fabulous. I could take my time on my to do list.

    I'm glad you are going to be getting a break again from all of your to-dos. Have a great trip!!

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  9. I think there's a difference between being BUSY and having thigns to do. I like having things to do otherwise I get super lazy. If I'm "free" for too long it just feeds my procrastination and laziness. No bueno.

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  10. I actually really like being busy! Is that weird? I don't know, I just like the feeling of having just enought time to get everything (hw, workout, piano practice, activities, etc.) done! When I don't have anything to do, I just waste a lot of time on Facebook and Pinterest.
    Have tonsss of fun! And I'm loving your sneakers!

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  11. I went through a period of about 6 months where I wasn't working, and looking back, I should have made more of it than I did. These days, I know exactly what I'd do with all my free time. Back then, I was just...bored. Bored out of my mind.

    I like to be busy. But I like to choose what I'm busy with. I don't like it when obligations I despise make me busy against my will, if that makes sense. I know a lot of them are necessary (job = money = mortage paid = house to live in) but it would be nice if I had more control over what type of job I had!

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  12. Having time to just "be" sounds so good right now. (Minus the whole husband deployed thing). I think about how much more I could do of what I actually want to do--crafting, homemaking, gardening, writing....if I didn't have to be busy with school. I do think our culture makes us more busy than we have to be!

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  13. I definitely think our culture makes us more busy. We have 24/7 access to internet, phones, people, and we're expected to be there. It's maddening! Enjoy your empty week. :)

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  14. I think this is such a good post. As teachers, I think we are all in "hurry up" mode. We want time to hurry up, so we can get to the next brake, or weekend or whatever. But once it gets here, a lot of us don't take advantage of it. You guys are driving?? Crazy!

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  15. When I was alone (*for two damn years*) I immersed myself in beer and biking. It was good for me, I learned just how strong I am. I look back fondly on that time (strange) but never want to repeat the experience. As you know from deployments, there's a certain level of misery that does not need to be in one's life. Travel safe friend! Esther Norine Designs estherdavison@gmail.com

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  16. Forgive me okay! I am so late damnit!! But better late than never right!!!

    ps. you look hawt in those short shorts.

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