As a kid, when someone asked you what you wanted to be when you grew up, you always answered with some profession for which you had a penchant in your heart. In hindsight, I sometimes wish I could have said, “I want to be a professional organizer, but sometimes, I just want to be.”
With the speed of life these days, you rarely find anyone that is relaxed and has time to be. Kids don’t have a clue what it’s like to just be. They are being schlepped from school to soccer to dance to baseball, etc. Even retired people are busier now than when they worked.
Can you remember the last time you were just able to be? Not be busy, productive, or effective. Just be.
If you can remember, it’s probably a standout moment in your mind rather than the norm. If you can’t remember, well, that wouldn’t be surprising. Usually when you are trying to be, you are too busy feeling guilty about what you should be doing rather than just being.
It seems like everyone is stretched tighter than a rubber band powered airplane. If one more component or layer is added to your life, you are likely to snap. This is not good.
If you look at your day as a circle and slice it into 24 pieces of a pie to represent the hours, shade the number of hours you need for sleep, work, errands, people, yourself, and whatever you do with your time. If you see that you don’t have enough time in your day to do everything you want, it’s time you step back and take a deep look at your life.
When you can’t take care of yourself, you will unlikely be able to tend to others. Your sleep will go by the wayside and you will not be the most favorite person to share time with.
As you look at this circle of your day, why not carve out some time to be? Be-ing can mean just sitting on your porch with a cup of coffee in the morning or taking a walk with someone you love. Whatever it means, let it happen.
So the next time someone asks you what you want to be, it’s OK to tell them you just want to be. Nice answer.
Patty Kreamer, CPO®
Certified Professional Organizer®
Filed under: General Info
Other people find it odd when they see you just “being.”
I remember one incident when I was a teenager. I was just sitting on the edge of my bed and scratching the dog’s head. My dad walked by and looked in.
When he saw me, he chuckled in surprise and said, “What’re you doing? Just sitting there?”
Apparently I was supposed to be constantly engaged in some activity.
Go ahead and be. Just be prepared to be stared at.
Reminds me of the twisted saying, “Don’t just do something, sit there!”