Great Expectations

[nancyfulda]

When I was pregnant with my first child, I discovered the limitations of human biology. The hours of the day, which had previously always sufficed for the multitude of tasks I crammed into them, stretched away beneath my grasping fingers. My evenings became litanies of Things Left Undone, my mornings frustrated contemplations of impossible tasks,

Comments

[_standback_]

Oy, how this resonates with me.
I only wish I could manage to find the right pieces. Right now, I've got this horrible sense of trying to keep a dozen holes in the dike plugged, with only ten fingers. With new leaks springing up at any moment...
I think that means I'm choosing wrong, but I'm having trouble finding the better alternative. What brings me to the brink of despair is that, in my experience, the things that truly bring me joy are the ones I can devote time and effort to. Time and effort are precisely what I've got none of now :-/

As always, thanks for writing. It does me good to read this.

[nancyfulda]

Finding the right pieces tends to be a matter of frustrating trial and error. You pick something to prioritize, then watch to see whether you feel better or worse afterward. Rinse and repeat, with breaks in between for chocolate. :)

It sounds kind of strange to say, "Follow those little flickers of happiness," but basically that's what I do. It's all anybody can do, really, because there aren't cut-and-dried rules for life any more than there are cut-and-dried rules for writing. There are just basic underlying principles and an infinite variety of real-world applications.

Here's hoping things de-stress for you soon.

[musingaloud]

Children grow so fast ... one day you turn around and their childhood is gone and you're desperately wishing it back. I don't think anyone EVER looks back and thinks, gee, I wish I'd spent more time working and less raising my children. Your priorities are in the right place.