Full Plate

Ever have those days, weekends, weeks when you have so many things to do you don't know if you can do it all? Yep, I thought so. It's called life. So many things to do, so little time to do them. I've learned a secret to solve this unbalanced equation. Time will pass whether or not you accomplish everything on your list, and some items can be crossed off your list without anyone knowing but you. Simple subtraction.

For example, we had a yard sale on Saturday with several families in the neighborhood. The kids had a Kool-Aid stand. I planned on making cookies for them to sell also, but as Friday came and went and I dragged myself out of bed at 6AM Saturday, the only thing I planned on making was coffee. The kids made enough money without peddling baked goods. Nobody needed any extra sugar after 3 batches of Kool-Aid anyways.

As if a yard sale wasn't enough for one weekend, we had two social engagements on Sunday. We went to a birthday party for a neighbor in the morning, and while I planned on dropping the kids off and picking them up two hours later, I have not yet learned how to subtract myself from children's parties. I did subtract some extra work from the occasion by not making a gift, but instead subtracted a small amount of cash from our yard sale profit to give as a gift. I love making gifts, but kids love getting cash.

A few hours after the party, my kids went to another neighbor's house for a dress rehearsal. A wonderful neighbor of ours organized a children's play based on The Little Red Hen. The curtains opened at 3:30 and parents and neighbors were treated to an adorable play. Avery was a cow, and Aidan was a sheep. I made their masks, but accidentally subtracted Avery's tail from my to do list. No fear, a fly swatter pinned to her pants made an excellent swishing tail.

After the play we swam and ate. It was a full afternoon, but I wouldn't have subtracted one minute from our busy day. Or weekend, or life. I don't do well under stress, so I have to subtract it from my life whenever possible. A full plate is to be enjoyed slowly, not crammed down in haste. Bite what you can chew, and gracefully decline what you cannot eat. Here's a sample from my full plate.

If you can, subtract something from your to do list so that you can savor the rest of your day a little more. One item to subtract from your list for the next few days will be reading my blog. We are going camping, but don't worry, I'll be back - with fish tales.