I Give Up

What do I do when I’m feeling like a busy little bee — overwhelmed with the silly everyday “chores” that I blow up into “stresses and struggles”?  You know what I’m talking about . . . the cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, bill paying, volunteering for projects, school work helping stuff?

I give up.

I’ve pretty much figured out all of that can wait. It can wait for me to:

• walk outdoors in my bare feet to take a deep breath of fresh air and feel the sunshine for a minute or two.
• hold my kids hands and go on a 20 minute nature walk around the neighborhood.
• sit on our patio and have a cup of coffee or iced tea while watching the hummingbirds come to our feeder.
• sit on our front step and pull out my handy-dandy list and write everything that’s in my head down on paper — if only so I don’t have to THINK about it anymore.
• jump rope or hoola-hoop in the driveway with the kids.
• crank up some music and dance around like a preschooler with the kids.
• pay a visit to the neighbors and chat for a minute.
• cool my toes in the baby pool.

It can wait!  All those chores, that’s just small stuff.  And I really try “not to sweat the small stuff.” Plus, I feel happier when I give myself a break.

Unfortunately, I find I constantly have to remind myself that it’s okay to give up. For a minute or two.