Overwhelmed

When there is too much going on, and not enough time to take care of it all, and you begin to feel overwhelmed with it all, what do you do?  What is the one thing you turn to when you want to find your center again? 

For me, its two things:  chocolate (of course!) and then reading in order to find inspiration. Sometimes that reading is just plain old chick lit, and sometimes its a fav self help book by Sarah Ban Breathnach called "Romancing the Ordinary".  She breaks her categories into months, with a different topic, and I've enjoyed her insights over and over again. So much so that I bought the book on Amazon, rather than keep checking it out of the library.  *laughs* 

In reading today, I found a place where she quotes Wayne Muller, "God does not want us to be exhausted.  God wants us to be happy."  And this reminded me of a talk with my friend, Helen.  (She's been on LOA, but stopped in on Friday to have lunch with me!)  We often say that to each other -- "Everyone deserves to be happy." 

But its harder to feel happiness when things are overwhelming you, when your "to do" pile is bigger than the hours in a day.  I know it is for me.  In Muller's book, "Sabbath", he writes "In our drive for success, we are seduced by the promises of more:  more money, more recognition, more satisfaction, more love, more information, more influence, more possessions, more security."  Even when we have good intentions in the things we do to achieve that success, it comes with a price.

Women as a whole have become so overworked and overwrought we no longer know how to help ourselves.  That's where we need to find balance within our lives, within our selves.  Knowing when to work, when to play and when to rest is part of finding that balance.  Once we find it, we do our work with greater ease and joy.  If we forget to rest, we will work too hard, and forget those we love, forget our children and our natural wonder. 

Remember to rest. 
This is very important.
But its also important to play and make love
and eat with those you love. 
Find balance in your busy life. 
You will be better for it. 
And you probably won't feel so overwhelmed. :)