A few weeks ago, I ran into an old friend at the grocery store. We smiled, hugged and immediately began making up for lost time. When I asked her how she was doing, she sighed and said, “I’ve been so busy.” She seemed focused, yet tired and slightly overwhelmed by responsibilities, and I got a list of what she was doing instead of finding out how she was doing or feeling.
We only had a few minutes of time to catch up, of course, before moving on to our next errand. I wished her an enjoyable summer-end, but I have a feeling she didn’t make room in her schedule to breathe before fall activities begin.
Her busy lifestyle wasn’t an isolated incident either. I noticed other friends all over the state burdened by their own self-doing. Are our plates too full? Each day seems to be some sort of sport of productivity at precisely filling up your schedule from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. It’s like a competition — who can do the most with their time.
It’s a great business philosophy, on paper, but we’ve begun to apply it to our personal lives outside of the office. We’ve also applied it to our children or grandchildren lives. Occupying our time is not only a social norm for adults but for children now as well.
I know a young girl in middle school who participates in more activities than I do. She was constantly involved in extracurriculars (band, Girl Scouts, gymnastics, choir) that her only free time was every other Wednesday evening and Sundays.
What happened to playing outside until dark or even just being alone? I don’t think she could comprehend boredom.
Don’t get me wrong, efficiency is great. It’s productive, rewarding and shows we’re an evolving, intelligent species. It also feels good to get a lot of tasks done in a day and at least we’re not lazy. However, like driving a car, it’s hard to slow down when you’re driving 70 miles per hour.
A “work hard, play hard” lifestyle doesn’t encourage rest either, only regular over stimulation. We’re busy, and we’re begging for it.
I found myself checking work emails in Milwaukee because every little application on my phone is vying for attention. The work email, like the Internet, is disturbingly convenient. It literally disturbs other environments or conversations. Even when I do get an hour or two of free time, electronics are distracting, and I find myself right back where I started — connected, attached and too accessible, too busy.
So when my friend Tessa invited me to join she and her family on their annual outing to Colorado last week, I agreed without any hesitation. I also decided it was the most prime opportunity to unplug and unwind. I would leave my phone and responsibilities at home and retreat from the busy, predetermined routine.
I left my phone on the table and didn’t look back. There I was in the back seat with my friend, and her parents in the front, headed west with nothing else to do but relax and converse and nowhere else to look but out the window or, for once, in.
Contact Kate Malott at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or kmalott@newtondailynews.com