DAY 254 - AS SOON AS...

Day 254

Many of us have the tendency to look forward to the future and, along the way, sacrifice the present.  How many times have I heard people around me say stuff like: "As soon as this project is over, I'll be more relaxed" or : "I can't wait for this month to be over, then I'll really be less stressed."  My brother made us laugh on vacation.  Every day, he would say: "Come on, hurry up, let's go to the beach, I want to relax!"  Being in a hurry to relax... it seems a little contradictory, doesn't it?

Do you ever fell like your to-do-list never ends?

So many times, I'll postpone relaxation and fun to a later time myself.   It's as though I can't relax until there are no more chores left for me to do.  The problem is,  there is always either laundry to do, some drawer to tidy up, some windows to wash. The to-do-list never ends.  It just goes on and on.  That's why, although I don't work in the summer, if I'm at home, I don't really feel on vacation.  I'm always busy trying to finish up what I have to do, stressing about it, so that I can finally relax.  

The fact is, life isn't an emergency.  Nothing has to be done now!  Yet, I often feel that way.  I'll stress about deadlines that I will have created myself.

On vacation, I never felt that way.  It is true that I had no responsibilities...other than feeding myself and the kids.  But even if we had to take the bus at a certain time, the train or the plane, I didn't worry about getting there on time.  I didn't rush to do anything.  I took my time.  I felt relaxed.  Was I any slower?  I don't think so.  I was just calmer.

I'd love to be able to keep that calmness throughout the year.    Because it's really not only about the chores and obligations you have, it's about the mental state you're in while accomplishing them.   You can be accomplishing as much, but in a calm way.  Things don't get done faster if you're stressed or in a hurry to finish.

So, from now on, I'll try to avoid sentences such as "as soon as this is done, I'll be able to relax".  I'll really try to be efficient without feeling like there is a sense of emergency!  I'm sure it will benefit everyone in my family, not only myself!

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