Bone tired.
That’s what I am.
Are you?
Us mamas don’t rest, do we?
Where in the world would we find time for that?
I have yet to learn the true “art” of pacing myself. I tend to go until my body completely gives up on me. Not good. I know.
I have however, gotten better at saying no. I have started to truly honor my capabilities and my limits. I actually set boundaries and as hard as it is to say “no”, I am getting much better at it as my years move on. Age does that, I suppose.
But there are other times, I find myself stuck. Stuck in “how on earth can I rest?”
How can I rest when work needs to be done and responsibilities don’t stop? When life is crazy and then more is added to that craziness… unpredicted, unplanned, unexpected things… do you spiral down like a floppy paper airplane too?
Parenting rarely gives us opportunities to rest. Add the twists and turns of life with people you love and a broken world all around us and…
There’s always something.
Am I right?
Sigh…
Time. Simply not enough of it.
I always need “recovery time”… and often- I only get it in the wee hours of the night. Therefore, I sacrifice sleep.
Bone tired.
Anyone?
I’d rather be exhausted while scrounging some pieces of peace, than rested with a restless heart.
It’s just how I operate. I need to come up for air, and when I don’t- it leaves me
Breathless.
Today, will be another day filled with back-to-back activities… and yesterday was the same. The day before too. And the day before that.
If you lead a full life, chances are- it will tend to pour over at times with many unplanned turns along the way. I need to find my ground, after I have been up flying for a while. And when I can’t land to rest… my joy slowly dissolves into a dreary irritable state of funk.
When I go too fast for too long… I usually come to a screeching halt, empty and exhausted.
And this is where I am now.
Time to re-assess.
Time to set an intentional pace.
Time to say “no” more often.
Time to honor my limitations.
Time to set boundaries with my children.
Time to set limits with my blogging.
Time to recover the joy that is in living.
Psalm 23
A psalm of David.
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he refreshes my soul.
I thrive on a steady pace. But if my pace does not include green pastures and quiet waters, I begin to deteriorate…
Lord, make me lie down in green pastures. Lead me beside quiet waters.
Refresh my soul.
What a great post. I do that myself, work until I hurt all over, and then I go to bed. I work differently these days, not so much because of kids. That’s a harder act to juggle, balancing of life and kids and their activities. I’m starting to sound like a broken record but try to enjoy the everydayness of where you are now. This busy-ness will not last forever, and then you have/get to redefine your life, which is a daunting and sometimes lonely task.
I feel your pain, my friend. One day at a time, and that green pasture is a good place to land.
Oh how I love your perspective Laurie!!! You help me to realize that these days are fleeting and I need to embrace them…
Thanks my friend. 🙂
Most of us are trying to do too much or live too fast. I think the question we need to ask ourselves is: “What is this costing me?” Because there is always a price. This is the year I learned to say no and to say it without guilt. It has cost me friendships. But then you have to ask – what were those friendships based on to begin with? I think women tend to think that if we put ourselves first we are being selfish, but we’re not. It’s not selfishness. It’s self respect.
Right now it is costing me keeping up with my blogging friends and house and family life… and that is not acceptable. I am still trying to figure out how to serve and take care of my self and family at the same time. I can usually balance it on a fragile fine line, but these days the line doesn’t exist. You know…
Beautiful my friend! I pray for you to find that rest!
Thank you honey… you are always a source of encouragement and love for me. I am so grateful. 🙂
I also thrive on a steady pace. And I so feel like I’m in the same place you describe. As I was letting the dogs out this morning, I thought to myself that I needed to simplify things. Every now and then, I force myself to slow down and start simplifying. One of these days maybe I’ll figure out how to stay in that simplified state!
EXACTLY Jennifer! It slowly overflows and adds up on layer upon layer of busy-ness. Then I come crashing into the desperate need to pull back and re-evaluate and make choices to let some things go. That’s the hard part- but it’s a necessity. Still trying to let go over here. SO hard.
I don’t think I’ve honored my limitations ever. Well, maybe that is extreme. I don’t do it often. I’m with you. Bone-tired. Could sleep for days and even then when I’d wake up, I’d have to hit the ground running. I’ll pray for the both of us…that we get some rest.
I knew you would relate to this piece AnnMarie! If you find the time to rest, let me know how you did it! Can we just go to a hotel together for two full days and crash? Oh wait… we would talk for 48 hours straight and NEVER sleep!!! LOL 😉
Man can I relate. In fact my post for tomorrow is not being able to rest…even when you’re sick. I feel your exhaustion. We’re supposed to be taking a nap while our kids play in the next room…remember? I agree and hope to join you in reassessing, setting limits, honoring my limitation and recovering the joy.
AMEN sister!!! I am anxious to read your post Hope! Lord knows I want to so badly… hope to get to it SOON! So sorry you haven’t been feeling well hun… there is nothing worse than being sick and having to still be a working mama. Ugh. Will be praying for you!
Feeling this way very much right now. Needed to read this today. Can’t tell you how much this affected me Chris. Thank you.-Ashley
OH Ashley… I SO get where you are. It makes my day that this affected you, and I hope and pray that you and I both figure out how to balance it all and recover the joy and sustenance in living. Oh, how I do pray… xoxo
I tend to do best when I am busy. But its when I am frantic that I break down and this spring was difficult for me. A lot of driving with kids sports, a crazy work schedule. I need to get a handle of scheduling my time better this summer, so when fall comes again, I am functioning at a pace I can manage. Ilene is right about the cost…there is always a price.
Every day I have to prioritize what I can let go of, in order to meet the needs of the other things/people/duties. Every single day- there is a cost in every decision we make in where we spend our time and energy. Oh, how I pray through each day in hopes I make the right choices!!
I really hope you get the chance to rest soon – rest is good for you. Glad you have such a healthy attitude (and a plan) to getting it sorted out.
Me too, my friend. Me too. I have the insight and the knowledge… now I must put it into ACTION. Thanks for your encouragement. So grateful. 🙂
I can so relate! I’ve often said if I could just have 25 hours in a day…thankfully we’ve been designed to need sleep at some point or else I’d never take the time!
I need like 43 hours in a day… wait, maybe 47. 😉 I need to honor that we ARE designed to sleep… and rest… something I am clearly not doing right now. 🙁
{Melinda} Oh, I so get this, Chris. We are kindred souls, my friend. I just blogged about the importance of “self-care” and yet I recognize that I am not getting enough rest and am on the verge of exhaustion. Just today, a sweet friend encouraged me to take a self-imposed retreat for a day or two. I’m absolutely going to do it. I’d encourage you to do the same if it’s at all possible. 🙂 We need it. It’s not a luxury.
I think you and I are seriously the same in every way, Melinda!!! I LOVE that idea of taking a day or two to regroup and “re-treat”… I am dreaming of that now. Sigh…
If only.
I love that you said “It’s not a luxury..” Why do we always think it is? Ugh. I NEED it. Bad. Ugh.
(Promise to get my article to you by the end of the week. SO sorry…)
Yes! I’ve been feeling this so much lately. Burnt out on the year and we are just barely halfway through. And then, in the rare moments of calm I panic because I feel I must be forgetting something or I must fill the space with important things. But rest is so important too.
YES Tricia! It’s so hard to push through when you are FRIED. I am feeling that way now… just pushing through every single moment of “Crazy” that is going on around here.
We need to figure out how to stop and rest in the midst of it all. That, my friend is the key. Lets hope we can do that!
Rest is so important- and so hard to get as a Mom! Stopping by from PYHO Enjoyed you post!
Thanks SO much for stopping by! yes- rest is a critical piece to parenting, and the one thing we lack most. Sigh…
Saying no helps so much. And I found that once I started saying no, it was easier to keep saying it when I needed to.
I need to say no more so I get used to saying no, I suppose. Discernment is critical for me. I always ask myself, “What does God want me to do?” Sometimes it’s more than I am capable of, but He sees me through it. Every. Time. And that is worth the exhaustion! 🙂
Oh I love this call to rest. I AM weary. Tired. Worn out. Yet I keeping work in MY strength rather than going to the only One who can restore me. Thank you for the reminder to REST in Him.
Oh YES Carey!!! It is so easy to slip into “me mode”… instead of “He Mode”. Through Him… In Him… For Him… we serve. I remind myself that every moment of the day. I must cling to His Strength and Rest in His nourishment, or I can’t do any of it well.
We’re suppose to rest? Oh ya, I forgot! Great reminder about setting boundaries, saying no and honoring limitations. And what a great way to wrap up but with the focus on green pastures and quiet waters. If we aren’t experiencing them, we’re not still enough to receive that much needed rest and replenishment. Here’s to a summer of green pastures and God’s perfect pace for our lives.
I know!!!! Right? Geesh. I am still working on obeying His Leading to quiet waters… if we don’t replenish, we will surely run dry. Been there. Done that. Amen?!! Here’s to balancing our life better, my dear friend!! 🙂
I find I go and go until I’m running on empty. This week has very much been like that; it’s been a frenetic pace and now I’m falling down exhausted. I find I have trouble shutting my brain down. We all need to take the time to rest and reenergize, for us and for our families.
(Stopping by from SITS)
Beautiful and genuine comment here, Beth! I think you spoke for every woman out there, including ME!! We do need that “recovery time” or we will not be able to give of ourselves, if we are so depleted we shut down. I have been there so many, many times my friend…so many, many times.
Oh, and trouble shutting your brain down? YES YES YES!!! I SO get that. And probably every woman out there gets that too. That’s where prayer really helps me focus and slow it down so I can actually rest.
Your comment NAILED it home, Beth. Thank you!
I completely break down if I live a life of back to back activities. I get up every (well most) mornings at 6:30. I am supposed to my exercising and quiet times. I find if I even sneak a peak at the computer, the time evaporates and my opportunity is lost. As a family we also try to schedule at least half the day Sunday with nothingness. It doesn’t always work but we love it.
I am SO with you Laura! I need “breathing space” between activities… or else I crumble. I love that you plan Sunday afternoons with “nothingness”. That is truly a DIVINE plan, in every sense of the word. Good for you! And yes- one moment at the computer blurs into hours at times. That’s a tough boundary to make, isn’t it? I fight with that struggle of limit setting every single DAY.
I am just so glad you shared. Thank you SO much… 🙂
Beautiful and raw. Thank you for posting.
New fan from SITS.
Nicki
x
Thanks so much for your comment and for stopping by Nicki! SO grateful. 🙂
This was SO on time for me! Life without green pastures become grey no matter how bright the sun is shining. Thank you for this prayer I’ll be posting it somewhere in my work space….stopping over from SITS
I am just SO grateful you stopped by to read it Candace! I just love how you put that- “Life without green pastures become grey no matter how bright the sun is shining.”
I’m going to put THAT on my wall! Thank you… 🙂
Beautiful piece. It’s insane how you spend the first part of your life wishing that you were older; but once the kids pop out, time goes into warp speed. They grow up so fast and there’s just never enough hours in a day. You’ve stated it here beautifully.
New friend visiting from SITS 🙂
Amen to THAT Kesha! Never. Enough. Time. It’s a blurry haze of caring for our children day in and day out… that seems to fly so fast I simply can’t keep up!
SO glad you stopped by!! 🙂
Amen to this post! #SITSsharefest
Thanks SO much Jennice! AMEN. 🙂
I am finding my way to being able to say no. I still feel guilty for saying, “no” especially to things that my children want. I’m looking forward to getting to where you are knowing your limitations, setting time limits, etc. I’m making strides to get to that place where life is more serene and enjoyable. Wonderful, eye-opening post!
Thanks so much for reading and sharing, Mariann! It’s a constant struggle for me also, setting limits and boundaries with our time and efforts. I so easily and naturally want to say yes to it all! I am learning though, that each day I need to intentionally choose where I spend my time and honor what may be best. There will always be things missed, dropped, dismissed and neglected for something else. The question is always what is the best “trade”. I think it is important I teach my kiddos that they are not ALWAYS going to be first and get what they want. I love that they too, are learning what is most important in this life- serving others and making wise choices in doing so. 🙂
I wear myself out too, so I can relate to this. And I can never turn my mind off!
It’s awful, isn’t it Tarana? Ugh. I keep working on this… and I am getting better. But oh, still so far to go. Sigh…
I think I’ve forgotten HOW to sit still. Yet, sometimes, I look at my accomplishments at the end of the day, and feel like I didn’t do everything I wanted to. It’s a battle I tell ya! 🙂
I can never think I’m actually ‘done’ with anything… sigh. Is there ever anything that IS done? I need to learn the art of pacing myself… over and over again. Ugh. A work in progress, indeed.
Yes. Refresh my soul. Beautiful, my sweet amazing friend.
I need this daily… and I’m sure you do too, my sweet friend. <3
.Love that passage Chris. I recite it whenever I’m afraid. I still need to work on saying no though. 🙁
That passage brings such comfort, doesn’t it Jhanis? I love that you recite it when you’re afraid. <3 I have gotten much better at saying no, when I physically am restricted- but I still MUST work on it when I get better!!