A cup of coffee explodingFrom time to time my life, like yours I’m sure, gets a little hectic. For me, it’s when everything seems to be happening at the same time that I get a little bit stressed out. There’s big projects that I’m working on for clients that are coming up on deadlines. There’s the NPUG Redesign that’s currently under way and InterPUG isn’t far behind. Then there’s the 4th of July performance at my church, where I have to play the Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, which I don’t know, on my trumpet and sing in a men’s southern gospel number, which I also don’t’ know. Oh and did I forget to mention that company is coming up for the weekend and the house is a wreck? :O

It’s times like these where I think to myself, “how did I get into this mess?” I knew I had company coming in, so why did I agree to this 4th of July performance? Well, it’s simple – I don’t know how to say no. 🙂 On top of that, I’m a bad judge of time and as a result, I tend to underestimate the time necessary to get something done. Take this weekend for example, on Saturday I had the following items on my to-do list:

1. Mow the grass.
2. Edge and weed.
3. Re-clean the pool.
4. Clean the kitchen.
5. Clean my office.
6. Do the invitations for Caroline’s party


When I made the list, it seemed like a fairly straightforward list. I wanted to add more items, but actually forced myself to keep it simple. My thought was that it would be more motivating to get the list completed versus making a complete list of EVERYTHING that has to get done. So I limited myself to just six items thinking on how great it would feel to get all the items checked off.

I completed the first two items in a couple of hours and then jumped in the pool to begin that process. It was only after I jumped in that I realized just how much water was still in the pool. Instantly I knew that it was going to take longer than I expected. My two hour estimate was instantly pushed up to three in the blink of an eye. Six hours later, the job was done and so was my Saturday. Sunday I was so unbelievably sore in my hamstrings, and lower back that all I was able to get complete was Caroline’s invitation. Well, I did manage to moan and groan a lot as I walked around like Frankenstein. 😉

Then Monday hit with a bang and I was off to the races for the week. I managed to get some of my office straight yesterday as I reformatted my main workstation, but that task is still not complete. It’s now Thursday and company arrives tomorrow afternoon. Holly and I are now on “high alert” to get the entire house cleaned tonight. Unfortunately, we’re not just talking about a little dusting here and there. There’s floors to scrub, sinks to repair (yes, I said repair), fixtures to hang, you name it. That’s on top of having to learn all this music and of course run my business. 😛

So as I sit here this morning typing away on today’s entry, I’m struck with a thought. This time is a little different from previous high stress moments like this. Namely, I’m not freaking out. This isn’t the first time things have hit all at once like this and my normal method of handling it is to run around like a chicken with my head cut off. This time, I’m not doing that. Maybe it was my little nirvana moment in the pool on Saturday, I don’t know, but I’m MUCH more relaxed this go around. I have an overall feeling that everything is going to be just fine. Everything will get done and we’ll all enjoy a nice long weekend.

I’m really looking forward to having Holly’s parents and my un-official cousin Deesi up for the weekend. It’s going to be a lot of fun to visit with them and catch up and of course eat. I have three major breakfasts planned:

Saturday – Madeleines
Sunday – Steak and Eggs
Monday – Omelet Bar Greek, Western, you name it)

It’s going to be a LOT of fun. Yes there’s a lot to get done before they get here, but it’s all worth it and I’d do double the work if I had to to get them up here. 🙂

Yes the next couple of days are going to be stressful, but it’s all going to be OK. I have a lot of friends and family to help when and where needed, so there’s no sense worrying about what might happen. Instead, I plan on staying in the moment and enjoying the time I have with them and let the wouda, shoulda, couldas fall where they may. My cup may be full and running over, but it’s not stress that’s filling it, it’s opportunities and blessings. What more could anyone ask for than that?