In Defense of Busyness

It seems that everyone talks about being too busy.

Everyone says they want to simplify their life.

But I think there are seasons in this life when we are going to be busy.

I am not saying that we don’t go overboard. We live in a hyper-scheduled world, and we’re always plugged in to something. We sign up to do things without prayer and consideration.

But imagining taking daily long strolls on the beach and having seemingly endless times of relaxation is not realistic or helpful. Sure, it is nice to recharge and have a time of relaxation every once in a while. Definitely. But constantly dwelling on how busy we are and how much we need a break, robs us of contentment.

I have 5 children. Life is busy. Even if I scheduled nothing outside the house, we would be busy. But we do have outside classes, sports, and music lessons. We consider the cost in time and money before we commit to these things and compare it to the value of participation. We don’t take our commitments lightly. So the ones that we say we’re going to do, we actually do. I think that’s an important life skill to teach children. (That’s sort of off topic, but I threw it in for free.)

Right now, we’re finishing up our busiest season: Cross Country.

Has it been hard? Yes.

But is it worthwhile? Absolutely.

Am I ready for a little break? Most definitely.

But I’ll still be busy. It just won’t involve traveling to cross country practice or meets every day. I’ll be busy at home trying to catch up on things that I haven’t had the time to do during this busy season. The children will be doing more schoolwork. I’ll be doing more hands-on projects with the younger children. Hopefully I’ll blog more.

So consider the cost in time and sanity before you sign up for activities. But once you do, embrace the busyness and enjoy the season you’re in!