All car owners know that a tank of gas always runs out. Some weeks it seems to go a little faster than others depending on what's on the calendar. And I reckon that many people often feel the same way I do every time I ask, "Is it already empty?" as I'm mentally going through where I've gone and when I last filled it up.
Time goes fast. The gas doesn't last forever. Sometimes it feels that way in balancing teaching and life too. I'm prepping Week #6 at school right now. And a couple days last week it felt like I was running on empty. Too many things on the agenda, not enough rest, the stress is building as I'm prepping different presentations, social events happening left and right, crockpot dinners becoming my best friend.
I found myself at a common place in my life. A place with too much to do, too many places to go, too many people to please and not enough gas in the tank. I was reminded by something my Mom has always told me though not always lived it out herself. "In life, you need time for yourself. Sometimes you just have to say no."
It sucks to be on the side of a road waiting for a boy on a bicycle to bring you a spare tank of gas in the middle of the Mexican mountains. (Yes, that may have happened to my husband and I.) It also sucks to be so worn out and exhausted that you're just running on fumes to get through your day of teaching.
A few weeks ago, I found this quote from a great post on Medium, which you can find here by Blake.
“‘Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.’” —@owensbla
This quote has become a daily reminder to me over the last 2 weeks to consciously think about what I am doing every day. Is it really something of value and something that is going to get me where I want to be? Is it worth spending the "petrol" on something or is it something that I can say "No" to and keep my priorities in order?
So the lesson I'm constantly learning in life is about taking time to rest, figuring out my priorities, which includes spending time with people I love and not always working. It's not fun seeing the low fuel light come on and wasting time on things that ultimately aren't going to matter. So as a reminder to myself, I've taped this new mantra to my school computer.
I found myself at a common place in my life. A place with too much to do, too many places to go, too many people to please and not enough gas in the tank. I was reminded by something my Mom has always told me though not always lived it out herself. "In life, you need time for yourself. Sometimes you just have to say no."
It sucks to be on the side of a road waiting for a boy on a bicycle to bring you a spare tank of gas in the middle of the Mexican mountains. (Yes, that may have happened to my husband and I.) It also sucks to be so worn out and exhausted that you're just running on fumes to get through your day of teaching.
A few weeks ago, I found this quote from a great post on Medium, which you can find here by Blake.
“‘Ask yourself if what you are doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.’” —@owensbla
This quote has become a daily reminder to me over the last 2 weeks to consciously think about what I am doing every day. Is it really something of value and something that is going to get me where I want to be? Is it worth spending the "petrol" on something or is it something that I can say "No" to and keep my priorities in order?
So the lesson I'm constantly learning in life is about taking time to rest, figuring out my priorities, which includes spending time with people I love and not always working. It's not fun seeing the low fuel light come on and wasting time on things that ultimately aren't going to matter. So as a reminder to myself, I've taped this new mantra to my school computer.
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