Swamped

Swamped is exactly how I am feeling at this moment. Today was one of those days where I went from activity to activity... and they were all good activities... and didn't really have a chance to sit down and rest until about 5:45 this afternoon. While I enjoyed each of the activities, I really dislike coming to the end of the day and feeling as though I have no margin left for anything. It is not a relaxing way to live and I try very hard not to let myself be over-scheduled. Some days you just can't avoid it. 

The trouble is, I fear that the next two weeks are going to somewhat similar as I try to work through all of my to-do lists for being ready for September. It's not all about school planning, either. That I feel as though I have enough of a handle on that it is manageable at this point. There's just a lot of other things. Such as, getting outlines made for the co-op classes I am teaching this year. I have definite ideas about how each class will work, but I think it would be wiser to put it down on paper rather than just winging it. I don't find winging it restful. I'm helping to teach a continuing education class about Equine Facilitated Learning and children this fall, the first session of which is the end of this month. We have an outline, but there are slides to make and some more details to hammer out. I have quite a few horse classes also starting in September. These don't really require advance preparation, but they do require advertising so that I actually have students. And then there is the thinking and planning for all the details that need to happen for us to take our trip to Yellowstone. 

None of these things is terribly difficult for me, they just need to get done. The trouble is when they all arrive at once. Then it feels a little bit overwhelming. Yes, I have known about all of them since the beginning of summer. Yes, I could have started planning any of them sooner. (In fact the continuing education-thing and some of the co-op classes I have been working fairly consistently on.) But in reality, I am both a horrible procrastinator and there are just some things that need to wait until you are closer to when they are going to happen. 

As I write this, little thoughts about what needs to be done for all of these and several other things keep popping into my head. I'm realizing that I am making the fatal mistake of trying to keep it organized without writing it down. This is a sure way to miss important items and it is not calming. Maybe if I approach it as I do major holidays. For those I plan out what things need to be done on what days in order to have it all done by the holiday. It helps me see the big picture and knowing I have a time to work on everything allows me to relax and not have to think about everything at once. Tomorrow my first to-do list item will be to map out the days I have leading up to each deadline and create a game plan for fitting in each piece of the puzzle. I actually feel a little more relaxed just have figured out how to figure it all out. Thank you for coming to my therapy session.

When I find myself in these periods, light mysteries are the only things I want to read. I just finished one a couple of night ago that I think others might enjoy called Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann. It is a murder mystery where the shepherd is the victim and his flock of sheep play detective. It is an unusual book and one that it took me a few chapters to really figure out. But by the end, I really loved the sheep. Try it out. This is a safe animal book, by the way. You can rest assured reading it that the author will not tear your heart out and stomp it under her feet. 

And if you are interested in horse classes for a child in your life, head to my website to see the dates and times and register. Or, you could pass it along to someone you know who might be interested. Bittersweet Farm