Sunday, October 26, 2008

Gravity of Motion: The Weight Of Constant Activity

Every once in a while I get asked about the title of this blog. Only a few people have asked about it. I don't know if that means everyone else gets it or if no one else has ever stopped to think about it. It is quite significant to me. The title is a stark reminder for me to take inventory of my activities.

In 2006, my husband was deployed to Iraq. I was a stay-at-home mom of 3 boys (or more accurately, 2 boys and a baby). Being a single-stay-at-home mom was extremely challenging. I decided to tackle my chaotic isolation by being involved in activities. I made a conscious decision to be busy. I thought that if I stayed busy, I would be too busy to be worried or sad. I got involved in as many activities as I could. I found that if I was giving to others, I was less likely to focus on myself. It worked to a degree. I wasn't constantly focused on myself.

The downside was that the constant busyness was very taxing. Being busy all of the time became a burden. It was a different burden than the loneliness I was trying to avoid but it was a very heavy burden. I was constantly loading up the kids. I was constantly planning how to get to the next activity. I was constantly trying to figure out how to get everything on my list done. I was revolving around my life. I was weighed down by the constant motion of my days. I was exhausted and that made my emotional state unpredictable. I was exhausted and that made my spiritual life shallow. I was exhausted and that made it impossible to take care of myself physically.

I decided to begin this blog simply because I wanted a place to write. I wanted a creative outlet. The title was appropriate when I started blogging because it represented what I was experiencing. It is still appropriate because it reminds me to take inventory of what I am doing day-to-day. If I try to do everything that interests me, my life gets too busy. When I try to do too much, I cannot excel at anything.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well said. I am very glad you have this creative outlet because it blesses me in many ways. Wow, that sounds really selfish. But, I thank you that you take the time to blog so that I can learn from your experiences and also just keep feeling connected to you because I get a glimpse of your everyday life.
Sharon

Jill@Barnes Yard said...

I must admit, I have often wondered myself about "gravity of motion" and now I know. I think you are an amazing girl. :)

Penny said...

You know, that happened to me in college actually. I got so busy that, instead of a blessing, it became a burden. I LOVE staying busy and working, but I have to remember not to overload myself. =)

(BTW, found you from Andrea's blog.)

Anonymous said...

Great explanation...and a great reason to blog. Thanks for your comment!

Trisha said...

I find myself exhausted more than I would like. :) Thanks for this post... so inspiring!

Becki D said...

Love it. Found ya through the Blog Hop - so glad I did!

There is definitely a happy medium out there somewhere between doing nothing and over-doing. Please let me know if you find it! :-)