(The most critical moment is the night before, when you prep for the next day, as seen here in Rule #1.)
I just drove home from a full day of substitute teaching theater. I spent the whole day on my feet, teaching 3rd and 4th graders the value of good blocking and strong voice projection in performance. I am really, really tired.
I wanted to just toss my work bag, my purse (with my planner inside), and my water bottle on the island and go to sleep. The couch was whispering my name.
"Giftie. Giftie. Come lie on my cushy pillows. My blankie is warm. You know you want to. Dooooooooo iiiiiiiittttttttttt." - Giftie's Couch
That is a BAD plan. (Okay, you all KNOW that the bad plan was exactly what I ACTUALLY did, right? {sheepish guilty look} But do as I say, not as I do, and all that jazz.)
You see, my work bag is only used occasionally, since I only substitute teach. Today is Friday and I know I won't be teaching on Monday. It needs to be emptied out. The lunch bag inside of my work bag needs to be emptied, with dirty dishes put in the sink, the uneaten piece of candy put back in the fridge to protect it from the mouse (can I get a Woo Hoo! for not eating the candy bar?!?), and the library book (brought to read during breaks) put near my bed in my library tote bag. The laptop needs to be set up on my table. The bag needs to be hung up. My purse needs to be put where it belongs, with my planner taken out and put in it's place of honor. I need to LOOK AT THE PLANNER to see what I need to defrost for supper. And the water bottle needs to be emptied and washed out. My kids need to hang up their school bags and sweatshirts, pack snacks for next Monday, and do their chores (unloading and loading the dishwasher, emptying the trash, putting away clean laundry, straightening the living room, and bringing all dirty laundry to the laundry room).
I know how long and intimidating that last paragraph looks, but take note that the actual time I usually spend on all these things is about ten minutes - ten very important minutes that can make or break our evening.
Since I didn't do those things, the chores are undone, there is a pile of the aforementioned crap on my island in my kitchen, and dinner is not defrosting. Suddenly, I have moved from merely tired to overwhelmed. And it is my own darn fault.
I know I have very little self-discipline when I am tired and hungry, but I ALWAYS regret it when I don't unload after being outside of the home. I'm a work in progress, but I can't work on everything at once. I think this, though, is something that I really do need to work on to improve the quality of my life.
Who's with me?
Etcetera.
8 comments:
All you can do is try again tomorrow, right? Sometimes you need to just nap if that's what your body really does need. (Lord knows, I need to take this advice myself!!)
The internal arguments I have when I am tired are never ending. Mine come just before bed. I know I should do all that toning, moisturizing stuff. I hardly make those wipey things across my face and brush my teeth, all without the bathroom light on.
When I am exhausted I honor that, but I set a timer. That way I know that I have 20 minutes (or 15) to just let go and sink. I can relax more deeply knowing that I will get everything done after a short delay.
Christine - that is great advice. I will start doing that.
Any chance you can share the name of your adorable owl bag? (apologies if you have mentioned it previously)Love your posts!
I can't find any label with a name, but I got it at Target about two months ago, if that helps any!
Thank you so much! : )
Post a Comment