There's always enough time for the right work
For when you're feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and out of time.
Last week, I shifted gears from sharing travel stories about Nashville to writing newsletter ruminations about “Small is all,” one of the principles from adrienne maree brown’s Emergent Strategy.
With the Nashville school shooting and political trouble in the capitol there, I’ve decided to continue with the Emergent Strategy theme because, let’s be honest, when things get heavy, it’s good to look for the helpers — and the things that help us.
A few days ago, I read about the eight art therapists from Austin who drive to Uvalde three times a month to lead mosaic art nights that double as group therapy sessions for people in this community still reeling from the terrible school shooting last year.
It’s amazing to think about these therapists, who surely have busy lives and busy practices, would commit to such a large community wellness project in a town that is not their own.
Then I remembered, “There is always enough time for the right work,” the third of those principles from my favorite futurist, who is an absolutely must-follow human on Instagram.
There is always enough time for the right work.
Enough time for the right work.
What is enough and what is right? That’s a question I think about as I spend my days, writing, parenting, Zooming, dog walking, connecting with people about their ancestors, delivering Meals on Wheels, taking my kids to cool places.
It all feels like work and it all feels like life.
This spring, I’ve also added the jobs of wedding planner and travel agent to my job title. Starting later this month, we’ll host a wedding and, in May, embark on a familymoon, two once-in-a-lifetime events in a six-week span.
As these Big Days get closer, my to-do list gets longer, no matter how much I do, and, if I’m not careful, I can slip into an “I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR THIS” panic.
I make last-minute bridal decisions, only to realize how many more I still have to make. I finish one work project and play catch-up on the next. I rake up all the leaves, only to see more leaves. I solve one technology problem and then spend three months trying to reset my kid’s iCloud.
“Time is what keeps everything from happening at once,” author Ray Cummings wrote once.
One Frank Curry would add: “And money is how we measure it.”
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