Motherhood Uncorked - A Quiet Moment

A quiet moment 6/1/2012

Why is it difficult to allow ourselves to just be? Why is it necessary for us to fill in our time with the “To Dos” that only we know exist? Will anybody else know if the laundry is not finished or the hall closet is a mess? No, but somehow we are still compelled to be busy during those precious quite moments when little heads are down and the phone is not ringing.

I can find many ways to fill my quite time. Email is nasty enticer. You feel obligated to go through and at least delete on a daily basis or else you log on and have 105 new massages in your in box. I made a somewhat resolution this year to remove myself from many of the mailing lists that I am on, of course to unsubscribe also takes time. The worst thing with emails are you are often transported to sites in the web you had no intention of going in the first place. How I ended up on the chocolate covered strawberry site when I don’t even like strawberries is a mystery. Worst are the “Incredible Sales Today Only” on a site you actually like. It would be a crime not to take a quick look through the jewelry even though I have no intention of buying any. The same hold true with the daily deals. Target sends one – free shipping with there’s. Once I saw something I actually already wanted, just once. So for the off chance of maybe in the next five years seeing a deal on something I need I will continue to endure the daily ritual of opening and then deleting their emails instead of quickly filing them to the trash immediately or better yet , unsubscribing. I think there must be an email support group for this problem. If not I will email all my contacts to start one.

Another time filler is the paper pile. I signed up for emails to avoid getting so much paper, but for some reason they pile continues to thrive and too often grow. So, on a quiet moment, there I go, plunging into its depts. Regularly I am happy to see that at least half of the saved information is already expired. This is only really bad if it is a tax bill. I have magazines that never seem to get read, inspirations for the home or playtime activities that should be tried or ~ shocking to those who know me~, a recipe that might even tempt me to whip out a pot. Of course I will never make that awesome dish; I have wasted all my time just finding the directions buried in the bottom of the paper pile. The pile of course never ends, it simply shifts location.

Yesterday I filled time with the exciting job of cleaning in the garage and today I repotted the large hibiscus next to the front door. Both of these resulted in a nicer appearance to an area around the house, but did not help me to relax or, I realize, eat lunch now that I am thinking about it….. All of these of course are better then my seeming addiction to "Words with Friends" or my previous electronic time suck, "Angry Birds". I refused to download 'Angry Birds Seasons' fearing I would choose playing over feeding a child.

Household chores are a no brainer time filler. There is always a floor that needs a vacuum or an object to be put away. I think for me some of the challenge is the transition from working to being home knowing that I go back to work in a few months. I seem to be more efficient when I have more to do but the fluctuation in my schedule has not allowed me to have a routine. I am sure with a routine I would be fine, I should create one. Maybe that will be my filler tomorrow.

A quiet moment 6/1/2012

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