2003 has been a tough year for me. My consulting firm has been going through a lot of changes and looking back on it now, I also hit severe burnout from my overload of work during the summer. It was in July when I started climbing out of my quagmire of funk and thanks to a good friend of mine, was turned on to FlyLady.net. I began building new routines and slowly but surely began putting order and stability back into my life. I started with small baby steps and simple routines and gradually built up from there.
For example, my morning routine is to wake up and take Gracie for a quick pee. Then I put out her food and while she eats, I clean the kitchen, do the dishes and shine the sink. In the thirty minutes it takes for her food to digest, I write on my weblog and post an entry for the day as I eat my own breakfast. With an entry posted, I then take Gracie for walk in the backyard and down the hill so that she could do her business. After that, I do my “three S’s” and be in my office working by 8am.
I’ve come to really enjoy this morning routine and I actually look forward to it. However, with Monkey’s illness and all the crazy pet activity, my routine has been cast aside. Right now I’m sitting on the guest bedroom typing this entry on my AlphaSmart as I wait for Monkey to come out from under the bed. He has to eat 5 times a day. Given that it’s 10am now, that means that his last feeding will be at 2am. Don’t get me wrong, I love Monkey and if it means staying up till 2am so that he gets fed, then so be it. I’m don’t mean to sound like I’m complaining, it’s just that I miss my routines.
With Monkey’s feedings, Scruffy (one of our other cats) needing eye drops twice a day, Gracie’s feeding and walkings, and trying to make sure Midi and Tiger Lilly (our other two cats) get enough attention, I’m starting to feel like I’m running a boarding house for pets. Actually, given the fact that I can’t be away from the house for more than 4 hours, I’m starting to feel more like a housewife. Unless you love the work, being the person that manages the home should be considered slave labor. It’s a lot of hard work and you’re always taking care of other people. I can’t believe it, but I actually said to Holly on Friday, “I’ve got to get out of this house. I need to do some adult things. Take me out on a date.” 🙂
Of course the lack of sleep and constant feedings are good practice for when we have kids. Holly and I both want to have children, but we’ve just haven’t gotten around to it yet. Everyone who has kids will tell you that your life will change. It’s great, but that it’s a big change. Now that I’ve had a small taste of how your life can be when it’s not “about you,” I can see how things will have to change. I’m just as eager as ever to have children, but I guess I have a better understanding of what’s involved. Little did I know how self absorbed my life was. 😛