Playing Catch Up

It's always good to come home from a long trip, but there is a price to be paid for being away. I've been traveling in Israel and Palestine for the past three weeks. Coming home is wonderful, but there are bills to be paid, issues to be dealt with and appointments that were postponed for the trip.

This was my first full day back and I had several appointments to keep and many phone calls to make. I paid bills and followed up on why my lawn hasn't been cut since I left home. I'm also amazed at how my garden was weed free when I left and now looks like a jungle! Everything exploded while I was away.

It can feel a little overwhelming when we've fallen behind in a chore or set of tasks. The extra burden of 'catching up' on top of all our normal daily work can seem daunting.

As I slowly dig myself out from beneath the back log, I remember that I've done this many times before - come home from a trip and whipped my home front into shape. This is doable. Even when I feel overwhelmed, I remember that it is not a permanent situation. I will get caught up again and then life will return to a more leisurely pace. OK, well, maybe not leisurely, but it will mellow out a bit.

Whether we fall behind because of our own actions (like procrastinating or postponing something) or it happens as the result of something beyond our control, the sensations can be quite unpleasant.

Patience and persistence are the answer to this situation. If you have something that you're behind in doing, dig in and start chipping away at it. Give yourself a realistic amount of time to tackle it and just keep plugging away.

As I look at my next pile of financial paperwork to deal with, I'm making a plan for how I'll work through it tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'm also getting over jet lag, so I'm going to call it a night very soon. I accomplished what I could today, and now it's time to let that be enough and give myself some much needed rest.

Remember too, as you're plugging away, to do what you are doing with peace and do your best to stay balanced. How you do something is as important as what you do.