Saturday, September 15, 2007

I Need to Stop...

...and smell the coffee!

I got up this morning (Saturday) around 9am (in my defense, I was up until 1am answering students' questions/responding to their issues). After a detour to the bathroom, I went into the kitchen to start the coffee. Of course, that's the cue for my cats to make their demands. For one, I turn on the faucet; for another, I open the cat food bucket; for the rest, I add "fresh" food to the food bowls--a little, or a lot, makes no difference. The top layer has to be "new." So, my need for coffee took a back seat to their needs to be catered to.

Yeah, I know. It's my fault. Really, I don't mind it. At least I don't have to send them through college and help pay their student loans! A new bag of cat food every two weeks and clean water are small prices to pay for their affection.

But that's not the only reason I'm posting here today. As soon as I started the coffee, I came into my study and turned on the computer. That's become almost a reflex for me these days. Get up, take care of the cats, make the coffee, turn on the computer. I actually had to MAKE myself sit down in the living room with a cup of coffee and watch the news, or I would have been on the computer at 9:15am.

I really do have a life--somewhere. I need to go to the store, to wash clothes, to sweep, mop, vacuum, clean the bathroom, mow the grass, and, yet, I find myself, because of the work that I do, spending hours on the computer; I look up, the sun has gone down, my fingers, wrists and neck hurt from the constant typing, and I reach for the aspirin.

This morning, after I forced myself to stay away from the computer, I opened the front door to let the cats out and realized that the air was dry and crisp; I grabbed my cup of coffee and sat on the front porch for about an hour. It was the best thing I could do for myself.

Yes, I have a great deal to do, but I also have an obligation to my own well-being to stop once in a while. Life is more than work, or school, or talking on the telephone. Life is breathing and taking time to see. I need to do this more often.

3 comments:

Hilda said...

I really felt identified when reading your blog. I worked full time and went to school full time for three and a half out of four years of college. I always took care of everyone else but me. I gave birth to my little one in July and I must say that it has been nonstop since. It seems as if I take of my little one, my husband, my house, and then myself if there is any time left to the day! I must say that things are getting much better and that I am slowly getting a life again! I also have to make myself stop from time to time in order to keep my sanity!

H. Carrillo

ang \\ said...

It has been such a beautiful week, and I've missed ... pretty much all of it. Between work and school at night, I just don't feel it on the weekends. That's when I do homework and sleep. This weekend will be good for me though; I'm heading out of town. Thank god.

You're right though, life is so much more than answering phones and doing study guides. Life is about living.

Kelly said...

I agree the weather has been wonderful. I have a swing on my front porch and I got to when I need to relax. I'm glad you were able to stop for a miniute and enjoy life!