So I was running around last night, quickly accomplishing as many housekeeping tasks as I could in the one hour window I have between getting Soren tucked in for the night and collapsing into bed myself, when Abe asked me, "When did you get so work-addicted? Have you always been this way?"
I defended myself by grumbling something about how it would be a lot nicer around this place if certain other unnamed individuals were a little more work-addicted themselves.
"There will always be housework, honey," Abe reminded me. "What about time for quiet contemplation?"
Quiet whosiewhata?
I do have a tendency to be task-oriented. I like to be a be able to look back over a day and rattle off a list of things I accomplished. I think it's because measurable productivity helps me feel that my existence has been justified. However, at the end of my life, I don't think I'm going to look back and say, "Well, it looks like I've completed 20,800 loads of laundry, cooked 65,500 meals, picked up 11,902,997,999 toys, played with my children for 10,450 hours, and always paid my bills on time. Life well spent!"
Which isn't to say that these activities aren't worthy....keeping the house clean, cooking meals, paying bills, and playing with the little ones are part of creating a home in which healthy, happy people can grow together, spend time together, and love one another. I want my home to be a place where people want to be, a safe haven. And cleanliness and food are an important part of that whole thing.
But it's also important to make sure that The Accomplishment of Tasks isn't overshadowing the purpose behind the tasks.
The purpose being something that I will address tomorrow. When my brain isn't so sleepy.
2 comments:
Sweetie, the reason why we wish to keep track of the substancial items that we have done during a day, because that is how the adult world expects us to be. We are expected to have list of things that we can show (visually prove) that we have accomplished something other than sitting on out butts eating bonbons and watching TV. Our society shows that we have to be able to prove the things we have done in order to prove that we have done something productive or successful with our lives. Quiet contemplation is not what society considers productive.
I have an app on my phone that helps me keep track of when I do my chores. Mainly because otherwise I would forget to do them. It makes chores fun! (Not really)
Good thing I don't have a Quiet Contemplation app. I'd have made it to Master level by now.
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