The Glorification of Busy

A few weeks ago we spent an entire Saturday raking and bagging leaves with the kids.  It was hard work but it made me happy.  It was simple.  While we were working I found a snake. I caught it for the kids and they were so excited.  They radiated pure joy and have been talking about that snake for days.

I saw a quote the other day that stated simply, "Stop the Glorification of Busy!"  I love it.  It seems like lately I can never find the time for anything and when there is a quiet moment, I am so exhausted that I cannot enjoy it.  When I get together with friends we seem to only be able to talk about all of the things we have to do. It is almost like a competition-whichever mom is the busiest must be the best.  Truthfully, it is a competition I don't really want to win. 

 At the beginning of the new school year, I was sad to see the boys go, especially Nash who started Kindergarten, but excited for all the time I would get to spend with Harley.  I volunteered to be a room mom for both boys, a grade level treasurer, and head of the staff appreciation committee. Two days later I was called as Primary President and reminded that the primary program was not written yet and only six weeks away.  Scott volunteered to coach 2 soccer teams, while spending a lot of time on the road. Atley's homework load in his advanced placement classes require at least 2 hours of homework per night and of course there is cub scouts and Harley's preschool co-op.  Life is crazy-wonderful but crazy.  The quality time I wanted to spend with Harley mostly takes place in the car going from one meeting to the next.  I hardly have time to read her a story. I keep asking myself, how can I simplify. Laundry needs to be done, the house needs to be cleaned, meals need to be cooked, shopping needs to happen and the kids occasionally need TLC. Yet, I am so frazzled most days that I am a short, impatient, screaming mad-woman.  I guess amidst all of the chaos over the last few months, I realized that the best mom's are not the moms who are on every committee at school, but the moms who have more than a few spare moments for their children. They have a healthy perspective of what is and isn't important. I am still working on that.  An apostle of our church Elder Dieter Uchtdorf said the following. 

One of the characteristics of modern life seems to be that we are moving at an ever-increasing rate, regardless of turbulence or obstacles.

Let’s be honest; it’s rather easy to be busy. We all can think up a list of tasks that will overwhelm our schedules. Some might even think that their self-worth depends on the length of their to-do list. They flood the open spaces in their time with lists of meetings and minutia—even during times of stress and fatigue. Because they unnecessarily complicate their lives, they often feel increased frustration, diminished joy, and too little sense of meaning in their lives.It is said that any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice. Overscheduling our days would certainly qualify for this. There comes a point where milestones can become millstones and ambitions, albatrosses around our necks...My dear brothers and sisters, we would do well to slow down a little, proceed at the optimum speed for our circumstances, focus on the significant, lift up our eyes, and truly see the things that matter most. Let us be mindful of the foundational precepts our Heavenly Father has given to His children that will establish the basis of a rich and fruitful mortal life with promises of eternal happiness. They will teach us to do “all these things … in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that [we] should run faster than [we have] strength. [But] it is expedient that [we] should be diligent, [and] thereby … win the prize.” ⁷Brothers and sisters, diligently doing the things that matter most will lead us to the Savior of the world. That is why “we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, … that [we] may know to what source [we] may look for a remission of [our] sins.” ⁸ In the complexity, confusion, and rush of modern living, this is the “more excellent way.” ⁹

Elder Uchtdorf then encourages us to evaluate our relationship with first, our Heavenly Father, then our families, next our fellowman, and then ourselves.  If any of these relationships are struggling than perhaps we should reevaluate our priorities. For me, all of those relationships need some work. As I was thinking about how to simplify I came across the picture of the kids and the snake.  We were not at Disneyworld. We were not spending a bunch of money.  I hadn't planned the moment for weeks, rather it happened when we were simply spending time together working as a family and it was real happiness. Maybe it is that simple-work hard and be happy at home together.