Life's Too Short

I saw an article this past week about a guy who worked for Toyota who actually worked himself to death. I think he was racking up some 80 (yes, 80) hours of overtime per month and he ended up dying as a result of it.

Things have been busy. It has been almost a month since I last blogged. Work and life have been an unstoppable force. You realize that almost an entire week can pass that consists of work and phone calls and emails and chores--when you finally realize you need to schedule a date with your spouse just so can have a moment to breathe--a moment where you can you actually talk about more than just adding something to the grocery list.

We've been exhausted and I had been fighting a head cold for most of the week. Not exactly working myself to the point of death, but I can tell this pace has been taking a toll on me.

Even though my husband had to leave today to travel for work, we tried to take some time to slow down yesterday. We lounged by the pool (he actually fell asleep in a lounge chair and I had some time to pour over the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly while soaking up some sun), we walked the dogs and enjoyed a nice dinner together. He even helped me touch up my roots so my grays would be temporarily camouflaged. (My husband is truly a keeper.) Sounds silly, but even the "covering of the grays" slowed us down a little and gave us time to hang out before his employer had to steal him away again.

Until he returns, I am trying to continue taking some time for me. I can't remember the last time that I've done this for any extended period of time. So, today, I had my nails done and got a pedicure. I hit the elliptical machines at the gym. I picked up a healthy salad for dinner and ate it in front of the television while watching a movie that was based on a book that I read (that has been on our Tivo for weeks). It felt really good.

Tomorrow, I'm finally going to watch the last two episodes of Grey's Anatomy from this past season (yes, I'm that far behind on my TV viewing). I'm going to go to church, do some shopping, hit the gym again and hopefully, get a little extra sleep. I might even squeeze in a Sudoku puzzle (and might not even check my email!).

The weekend will go by too fast--there's no way to help that. However, I'm hoping that when Monday gets here, with a little effort, it won't feel like the weekend didn't exist at all.

Right now, I'm going to take bubble bath (and admire my freshly painted toes), make myself a cup of tea and curl up with a book while listening to the rumblings of the thunderstorms outside. I'm not going to think about work and I'm going to try to get a little rest. Not what everyone might strive for in a Saturday night, but I'm feeling pretty content.

Sometimes, I think we get in such a routine of going 100 mph, that we forget to force ourselves to slow down. Now granted, I'm not working 80 hours of overtime per month like that guy from Toyota, but I am guilty of staying late and skipping lunch trying to do more than I really need to do. I sometimes do just take it all too seriously. (Hence, the scratchy throat and stuffy nose.)

If nothing else, at least I hope to go back to work on Monday with some prettier feet, with a few more burnt calories under my belt, with fewer gray hairs showing and feeling a lot more rested. Hopefully, I'll have the strength to take on a whole new week.

While I'm thankful for a job that I enjoy and that I'm good at, life is too short to make it all about jobs and chores and lists and schedules and calendars and emails and...I have to go. I have a bubble bath and a good book waiting on me...