Welcome to My World

Volunteer Pumpkin

Still dressed in my PJ’s and first cup of coffee in hand, I headed toward my downstairs office yesterday morning. Harold had already forewarned me that as soon as the weather was warm enough we would return to painting fence posts and rails. I was determined to get an early start on my blog.

I sat in front of my PC trying to decide if I dare jump into writing my blog post, or if I should tackle my To-Do list first. I balanced the options in my head. If I worked on my To-Do list, I would be jumping from task to task spinning my figurative wheels in an attempt to multitask my multitasks. Hours would fly past while I whittled down my list only to add more. The list has a life of its own and is never ending.

Blog—a firm decision. I should have done it Friday, and here it was Tuesday so I was already four days behind. My quandary helped me decide on the title: “Welcome to My World.”

I placed my fingers on the keyboard and noticed my nail polish was worn and chipped. I would have done them Monday before the Alzheimer’s Board meeting, but the power was out when it was time to get ready and still out when I should have been done. Just as I had thrown everything in the car to go to the other house to shower, the power came back on.

I typed the title, and my phone sounded an alarm. Ignore it, my left brain said. Better look at it, my right brain replied.

Curiosity won. Hair appointment: 10 a.m. What? Well, that’s just dandy. Here it is 9:30, and I have to be dressed and in town in thirty minutes.

I abandoned my first cup of coffee and ran up the stairs knowing I’d need to be dressed in record time. Short of breath, I rushed into Harold’s office to tell him the good news. I threw on clothes and a little makeup. No need fussing with my hair—that’s my hairdresser’s job. No need for earrings—they would just get in the way.

After getting my hair cut and styled, I made a quick trip to the grocery store. As I put the groceries in the car, I saw the box of sponsor T-shirts in the backseat. It was a perfect day to deliver them, but too warm to leave groceries in the car. Besides, it was time to get home and paint. At least my hair looked great until I put on the paint mask and pulled the elastic to the back of my head.

So, seriously, welcome to my world. But then again, I think it’s everyone’s world now. I don’t hold the patent on crazy, busy days. Looking back on my life, it seems it has always been that way. When my kids were little, days blurred into weeks, into months, and years until they weren’t little anymore. Then, Jim became more dependent on me to provide his essential care. I became immersed in caring for him and added volunteering for the Alzheimer’s Association to the To-Do list.

As if working, being a caregiver, and volunteer work wasn’t enough, I went back to college. How did I do it? I have no clue. I just took it a day at a time. Heck, sometimes it was minute to minute.

I wonder how any of us do it. Do we take on more than humanly possible, or are we just making the most of the time we have allotted to us? Are we doing the things we love, or are we fulfilling obligations and pushing aside what we really want to do?

The bottom line is that it’s all about balance. I don’t want to be the kind of person that blows off obligations, but I don’t want to be the kind of person that only has time for obligations. I don’t mind standing in the freezing cold to ring the bell for Salvation Army any more than sitting in the comfort of my home writing a press release for scholarships.

Variety is as important as balance. This is how I’ve chosen to live, so I’m sharing, not complaining. I’ve been blessed in so many ways and am thankful for the world I’ve been given. I appreciate life’s special surprises, like the imperfect, but determined, volunteer pumpkin that grew in our yard this year. With a smile, I welcome you to my world.

Copyright © November 2015 by L.S. Fisher

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