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"We all die in the end, but there's no reason to die in the middle."

playwright David Mamet

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Do you feel guilty?

Every time I find myself sitting at home, doing nothing, I feel guilty. I have so much that I want to get done, notice I didn't say "need" to get done. I'm trying to take more time to play with the kids instead of completing tasks, but then the stuff doesn't get done, or it takes a year to finish something. We finally have the garden in, after 3 years of trying to get the dang thing built and planted, but that is more work as well. It has to be weeded, watered and cared for. We need to finish painting Mason's room, his furniture should be here soon. I need to fix the walls in the front room so we can paint and get carpet down, but we are under a deadline since it is under a claim with the insurance that will expire soon. The list goes on and on, doors need to be hung in the basement, shelves need to be built, deck needs to be sealed, playground too. Not to mention we have now promised Makiah a new paint job for his and Max's new room. That means we need to get the other bedroom ready for an office. Yet here I sit, typing away at the computer, still sweaty from kicking a ball around with the boys for an hour. I know it all doesn't have to be done, and my life won't be any easier because it is done, but I hope there is a day, some time, where I don't have one project that I need to get done. I can relax, without guilt. When that day comes, I'm guessing you will all be attending my funeral, and you can close the lid on my casket, the final job. At least I know I can relax after that.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

The kids are enjoying the extra time you are spending so you can feel like superdad because of that- and let Satan's lies about guilt fall silent. Truth told, the time you give them is 1000 times more important than some of the things on the list. The list will never be complete because life happens. I love you and all that you do, but when I see you loving on the boys and the smiles on their faces and the change in behavior, I could care less about the list!

CJH said...

I couldn't agree more - we're all guilty of feeling guilty when we're not doing what others think is productive - wait, did that make sense? What I mean is, I agree that time with the boys is 1000 times more important. I read a story once about a guy that was in the backyard playing rough with his boys and the wife yelled from the deck "Knock it off, you're ruining the grass" and the man's response was "We're not raising grass, we're raising boys!"

I applaud your conscious effort/focus on your family over a "to-do" list. The work will always be there, the boys will grow up too fast. Your priorities are spot on.