The Important Things

I spent the weekend (yes, it just ended) trying to regain perspective. I think that might be an eternal mantra of mine. I get so out of wack, with my pendulum swinging so far to the left or right, and I need someone, or someplace, or something, to center me again. To remind me who I am, where I came from, and what's important.

What is important? My straight-shooting answer is: relationships. My life: doesn't say that. I don't know what my life says, but when I respond to people's "How are you?" with "I'm too busy to even answer that question" I'm no longer living out my #1 value. I'm living so far outside of my confort zone that sometimes I think I forget where my comfort zone is. I want to be back there. I want to live out my value.

So, I'm committing to "recentering" at least once a quarter this year, perhaps more. Recentering, re-remembering what I'm doing, what's important, and what that looks like.

This weekend looked like me recognizing that I multi-task everything and I shouldn't. And while I'm busy, nothing has really happened in the past few months...that is interesting to people who aren't in my line of work. And people who are into teaching don't want to talk about it when they are socializing. People want to know how my relationships are. And I don't have a report for them. Because I'm too busy. (You might notice, I don't know what I'm busy doing...) So my new commitment is to say no, unless of course, I'm building relationships. Worthy ones. I think I expect every interaction to build a worthy relationship, when in fact some aren't. I need to get more sleep so that I have energy to spend on people. My job is exhausting, and I need to compensate for that. I need to take life a lot less seriously, because life is too short to be so serious.

This week is "busy" but a lot of it is fun stuff. I need to keep the fun stuff fun, and not a chore. When fun becomes work, it's not fun anymore.

Here's to perspective, to balance, to rest in a restless society.