500 miles, a new baby and being too busy

Yesterday was a big day. I reached a pretty big goal. AND I got a brand-new grand-daughter!!! Big day indeed.

And tomorrow starts a new chapter in our lives - living and working at a lighthouse - so today is not only a big day, but a transitional day. A day when I find myself feeling too busy.

...

Most of my life is pretty simple these days and I don't often find myself being over-busy. I like the fact that I have taken steps to simplify my life and my schedule. I'm grateful that I am able to do so.

Because, you see, for a lot of years I let myself get over-committed and then reaped the results of that. Most people understand the negative results of being too busy - namely stress and irritability as well as the danger of important stuff and people getting neglected. Other effects aren't so obviously negative; in fact, they can seem like positives - at least for someone like me. Maybe I'm not typical, but I have discovered that I was feeding my ego by my busyness. In some twisted way, my busy schedule seemed to equate importance. Value. Worth. The busier I was, the more important I must be; right? If I was "normally" busy, then I was important, but if I was super-busy, then I must be really something. Bah! What a crock!

So anyway, things have changed. I've gradually been learning that my self-worth is not measured by my busyness. And I've learned to love a simpler, quieter schedule.

But..........

This week things have converged to make me feel super-busy for the moment.

Things like a brand-new grandbaby born yesterday!!! Now there's a positive!!!

And tomorrow we start our two-week commitment working at a lighthouse! Yes, that's another positive, but we wouldn't have picked this time frame if we had known about the new baby when we made the commitment a year ago.

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Here's the thing. This is the first time in a really long time that I have had to pack up to live anywhere other than in our little rig. I may have forgotten how to pack. I'm so spoiled by having everything in its place - no matter where we park. When we pull into a new site and unhitch, my shampoo and toothbrush and underwear and PJs are exactly where I need them. Not so for this coming week. Nope. Instead, I have to try to figure out what in the world I might need and try not to forget anything important. This week I have to live like a "normal" traveler - "out of a suitcase" - which means packing it first.

In fact, that's what I should be doing instead of writing. And so I will. If for no other reason, I want to get that stuff done so that I have more time to hold that little baby and to help her momma. Because that's the important stuff.

Oh, and there is also this...

At the beginning of the year, I committed to walking 500 miles and yesterday I made it to that goal!!! There's another positive. Something simple that I work on every day. And something to be proud of.