Busy

It's not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?

~ Henry David Thoreau

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The photo is above is from some stickers I got a while ago that I use my journaling or sometimes in letters to people. I had used several on this page when I noticed that the stickers were sending mixed messages. 

I think when we say, "I'm busy" that is only part of a sentence. We need to finish it. When someone says, "Can you meet on Thursday?" we should say, "I'm too busy to meet with YOU." When a child asks for our attention, instead of saying, "I'm busy!" we should respond, "I'm too busy for YOU." 

If we trained ourselves to do that, it would force us to think more intentionally about our activities. Is being on the phone or watching TV or doing some paperwork more important than a person who wants to talk with us? 

Often no. Often the idea of putting a task over a person will not be what we want to do and won't align with how we see ourselves.

(pause)

Sometimes it will because some people just suck the life out of you and you'd rather be organizing your coupons, balancing your checkbook, alphabetizing your recipe file, color coding your recycling, reading about anteaters -- really anything.

You know the people I'm talking about. If you don't, you are one.

Now get out of here, I have other things to do.