If you’ve spent much time with me, perhaps you know that my weekends are managed by my to-do list. Every Saturday morning I rise, and put pen to paper, creating my weekend. Sort of.
The Important and the Urgent compete for time and attention. Finally, as the sun sets on Sunday, I have to accept defeat for all of the uncrossed-off-lines of unmet responsibilities and obligations.
It’s too much! And, it’s not like the list is unreasonable!
The list, and the day, invariably begins with “laundry” (mine and the grandchildren’s). Although the wash/dry times are fairly predictable, the grandchildren fold their own clothes, so the dining room “folding” table might be occupied for up to 4 hours (depending on the level of supervision & focus).
The list includes “Crossword,” as my parents and I complete the NY Times puzzle via remote collaboration, finishing every Sunday afternoon either before or during a 3pm phone call. That’s not something I’m willing to sacrifice, and I don’t consider it a time-waster. The NY Times puzzle might be recreation, but we treat it as business.
In addition, I have a full-time job that doesn’t always get done within the bounds of Mon-Friday, so I often need an hour or 4 on the weekend. Business.
Then, there’s the part-time job of real estate, which is mostly bookkeeping, but I’m currently under the gun to finish 20 hours of Continuing Education by June in order to retain my license. So, ~4 hours for CE, plus 1~2 hours for various bookkeeping duties. Business.
We’re past the hurtle of tax prep, thankfully. That business consumed 2 weekends and most of Spring Break.
The backyard is once again a jungle wilderness in need of taming, which is next to impossible to do in bits and pieces. Last year, I worked my way through the flower bed pictured above, spending about an hour per day, as I was able. By the time I finished, the first patch was already under renewed attack, because of the invasive nature of the Bermuda grass and dwarf bamboo and nutsedge and the other unidentified intruders. These days, this is neither business nor recreation. It’s a nightmare.
On top of all of this, I’ve got to purge two overstuffed closets in order to consolidate a guest room and an office, to create a second bedroom for the grandchildren, who’ve shared a room for the last 2 years. That effort hangs like a dark cloud overhead on a windless day, with growing urgency.
At the end of each weekend, when I’ve done all that I can do, it’s never enough. Yet, it is what it is. It’s time for the next week and I haven’t finished last week. Meanwhile, …
The truly bitter pill comes from my desire to spend time sewing for my grandchildren. What can I do to make sure this effort makes the cut (literally!)?
