When life throws you lemons, thank it for the snack

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Silence and Burnout

I'm sure many people will agree that a modicum of silence is a blessing. As an extreme introvert, I absolutely agree. The silence I am thinking about tonight, however, is not originated from others, but rather from myself. Sometimes I am thankful that I can choose to remain silent in situations that another person (or even myself) might choose to voice their opinion or feeling. Yes, there is a vindictive streak in me (at least in thought) that occasionally cries out to give people a good verbal smack so they can see they are not the only people of import on the planet. Thankfully, I am usually able to keep this part of me at bay. This is the silence that I am glad to have tonight.

It is actually very closely related to my gratefulness for burnout. I know that burnout is not usually seen with a positive light. Yet, the purpose of this blog is to shed a golden glow upon even the darkest corners if I can. Tonight I am feeling so burned out, stretched and stressed close to my limit, that I find it very difficult to lash out or to even have angry, vindictive thoughts for too long. So, while I may judge that other woman as being rude and selfish, because I am too burned out to give so much as a dirty look to her, I can pause a moment and realize that she probably sees me in the same light. Because of this, I will take the slightly raised ground and walk away from the copy machine while she finishes whatever it was that she decided to stop that allowed me to swoop in front of in the first place. Besides, I did manage to copy the bigger assignment for tonight before she expressed her ire. ;-)

On a side-note, I am very appreciative of my time spent in lowly office positions. I am able to use a copy machine with more efficiency than many "professionals," so I know how to slide stuff in and how to walk away with patience, getting other stuff completed while I wait for the machine to finish.

Hurray, I feel better! :-)

Friday, September 10, 2010

Catching Up

There's no need to rush when you carry your home with you everywhere
I don't know about the rest of the world, but my life is like an accordion. There are times when everything is moving too fast and I struggle to keep up. These are then followed by moments when things slow down so much that I can take that "inbox" pile and process it. I am constantly fluctuating, travelling along my personal Yerkes-Dawdson inverted U curve. I suppose I could do the intelligent thing and take life slow and steady so that I am never behind, but then I will also never be ahead or caught up. I guess the real question comes down to whether one lives life like the hare--rushing about to get ahead so that you can nap, fall behind, then rush ahead again--or like the tortoise--slow and steady, just keep plodding along and you will eventually get there. Admittedly, I am partial to the hare's method, even though I do sometimes seem to take life at the tortoise's top speed. I find that the slow periods are much more enjoyable after I've come rushing through a chaotic period.
I'm late, I'm late. Oh, wait...I'm early now