Way Too Busy
Have you noticed how often when you ask someone "how have you been," she replies, "Really busy"? I think many of us use that response because it's an easy answer to a complicated question. And we know the other person will understand it better than if we said "I've been working a lot on my mission in life" or "I've been trying to make ends meet by doing extra things." Or "I don't know where the time goes; I seem to be drifting through my life." Or "My family is so demanding I don't have any idea how I've been; I never have time to think about myself."
Most likely, when we casually ask someone how they've been, we aren't looking for a long answer. We don't have time for a long conversation!
Then, too, in this day and age, being busy is a sign of accomplishment. I admit to being impressed when someone opens their calendar and I see all kinds of appointments and events scheduled there. I read recently that office buildings are lowering elevator "door dwell" time after noticing that the most worn button on the panel is the one that says "Door Close." We are busy people!
Lately, when people ask me how I've been, I've been saying "way too busy." The first time I said that, I thought I was being a little clever. The second time, I thought, "how does that sound to someone else?" Does it sound like I think I'm more important than they are? Or does it sound like I'm unhappy with my work?
And the third time, I realized it was a spiritual wake-up call, similar to the ones described on New Morning this week. (It's a sign of my being way too busy that I didn't get this blog done on the day the show aired; I was in meetings all day.)
Discovering that I was describing myself in terms of my busyness was a epiphany to me, a moment when I saw my daily life in a different way and also realized that I could and should make a change. August Gold shared a Polynesian saying I identified with: "We are fishing for minnows while standing on the back of a whale." I need to spend a little less time with the minnows -- the endless details of my life -- and more time just being aware of the whale, the great abundance right here in the present moment.
The first step to bringing this idea into my day? I need some quiet time, some silence. And because I can't just will myself not to be busy, I will schedule in that time, to make sure I take it, until it becomes an integral part of my balanced life.