Thoughtful Thursday

It's been a very busy week already and the weekend is shaping up to be just as busy. I don't like to be busy. I have to try really hard to not be grumpy and lose patience with people (ok, mostly just my family) when my life gets too busy. I try hard to keep things in balance so that I don't get to that point. Over the years that process has been realizing that I can't do everything for everyone. I have to let go of the expectation to be perfect and expect my family and my home to appear perfect as well. I read something a long time ago that I think about a lot and remind myself of often:

If someone throws you a ball by asking you to do something, you don't have to catch it. You can allow yourself to drop any ball that is thrown at you. This doesn't mean that you never catch the ball, only that it's your choice when you want to do so. Neither does it mean that you don't want to help others. Developing a more tranquil outlook on life requires that we know our limits and that we take responsibility for our part in the process. Most of us get balls thrown at us many times each day-- at work, from our children, friends, salespeople, even strangers. If we caught all of the balls thrown in our direction we would certainly go crazy! Even something terribly simple like answering your phone when you're really too busy to talk is a form of catching the ball. The same idea applies to being insulted or criticized. When someone throws a comment or remark in your direction, you can catch it and feel hurt, or you can drop it and go on with your day.

Choosing which balls I want to catch and remembering that I don't have to catch every ball every time has been a great way to reduce the busyness and stress in my life.