I think I can

For a while I was thinking that if we could just get through the beginning of the school year then things would calm down a bit. They did. We got back into our routine and things were fine. Of course, then all the extra-curricular stuff started: soccer, ballet, jazz, violin, music club, leadership club. And let's not forget fun stuff on the weekends: football games, birthday parties, cleaning house (not really fun, though), Sunday School, corn mazes, etc.

Phew, my calendar is just crazy and when I'm juggling all the stuff the kids and I do I start to feel overwhelmed. Things happen at work and I take on more responsibility. I get asked to help out with something at church that turns into a bigger commitment than I anticipated...twice! If you want something done, ask a busy mom, right?

But we settle into the routine and it doesn't seem quite so overwhelming again. And currently a few things are winding down. Soccer ends this weekend and we'll have our Tuesday nights back. I only work three weeks in November because of Thanksgiving. I'll get a bit of a break, but of course that means that shortly after that comes Christmas, which brings with it its own stress.

Honestly, I'm not really complaining. I don't mind being busy and I've done a pretty good job of keep the plates spinning and the calendars juggled. If I've dropped any balls, they weren't essential ones, and I am willing to forgive myself that.

Mostly, I feel like I am just chugging along. I can see a few hills ahead, an occasional mountain or two. There are a few times I've felt like giving up, but I've taken a quick break and gotten things back on track. Sometimes after climbing a certain hill, there's a stretch of time where we can all coast for a bit. Then we see another hill ahead. That's just what happens. That's how life works.

I think if life were all a straight stretch, we'd get a little bored. Just like you can't appreciate the sunshine without a little rain; without busy-ness and deadlines, hills and mountains to climb, we don't grow and we don't make progress in life ad we don't appreciate the calm moments when we get them.

When my mom retired, she took a bit of a break and then dove in completely with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, helping seniors at church to go grocery shopping, attending prayer group, being available for grandkids, etc. She went from a very busy career in nursing, to a busy retirement. She can step back a bit easier now and takes breaks when she needs to, but there was something about her that didn't want to just sit home.

I look forward to retirement myself (in the way off future). Not because I want to stop doing things, but because I want to spend more time doing things that bring me great joy. Some of those things might overlap with things I do know; I'll just have more time for them.

Our goals and our destination change throughout life, but it's always important to keep moving forward, no matter how difficult or stressful things may seem.

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This week 11 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts.

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

Baking In A Tornado
Cognitive Script 
The Blogging 911
The Lieber Family Blog
The Bergham Chronicles
Southern Belle Charm
Bookworm in the Kitchen 
Never Ever Give Up Hope
Part-time Working Hockey Mom
TaylorLife
Climaxed

My subject is "The Little Engine That Could for adults in modern society. Make it funny, cathartic, serious, but give us the grownup version." It was submitted by https://climaxedtheblog.blogspot.com.