What’s My “Right Now”?

Right now, my wrist is throbbing and I’m watching the Oscars.

Right now, I’m listening out for my kids, who have been in bed for close to two hours but sometimes take a while to fall asleep.

Right now, I can hear my husband downstairs watching the last of the NBA All-Star Game.

Right now, my body is stiff from doing an incredible 100 workout on Saturday.

Right now, I’m looking forward to going to bed.

Right now, I’m learning to live in the moment.

It’s hard for me to live in the moment. Very hard. I think that’s why I constantly feel so tired, so overwhelmed. I want to do everything and get everything done today. Right now. Much of my stress was caused by me thinking way too far ahead. Thinking about projects that aren’t due until the end of the semester. About proposals I need to submit for conferences that don’t actually happen until the end of the year. About building our savings account back up.

It would give me headaches, have me running around like a crazy woman and for what? I actually get a lot accomplished every day and my kids are happy. My husband’s happy. So why do I always feel like I have to be 20 steps ahead of everything?

One of my mini goals is to look at where I am today. What do I need to do this very minute, this hour. I stay organized by writing everything down, and then I need to deal with it as it comes. I realize my “right now” to-do list is much more manageable than my “for the foreseeable future” to-do list. And that gives me sanity.

Share with me, mamas. What is your “right now”? 

Comments

  1. Life is little more simpler when I don’t get too far ahead of myself. I find life more easier to manage, and I can appreciate more moments. This has been a process…letting go and living in the moment. My right now is watching my four year listen to her reader and finding astronomy work for my seven year old since this is her new interest. Looking forward to this day!

  2. I agree that when we try to focus on the right now and the to-dos in the future, it will drive you insane. I’m learning to write out my to-do and then go back and prioritize the things I need to get done asap. Also, delegating helps a lot. If I have something that needs to be mailed but I’m in the middle of writing too, I have no problem sending the Mr on an errand run to the post office.

    And I’ve also learned to make time to enjoy my family more. It helps to step out of work mode for a few hours.

  3. My right now is me at Panera Bread, enjoying some much needed “me” time! I work from home 40-50 hours a week, and I have an autistic five year old son and a (“normal”) seven year old daughter, and with my husband’s work schedule and late nights as of late, 95% of the house/meal/kid duties have fallen on me (and I had abdominal surgery just three weeks ago). So all things considered, I am suffering from a severe case of burnout. I’m using Google Calendar to manage appointments, tasks, and due dates, and I am doing my best to just live in the moment and stop worrying about the future so much. :)

  4. “It’s hard for me to live in the moment. Very hard. I think that’s why I constantly feel so tired, so overwhelmed. I want to do everything and get everything done today. Right now. Much of my stress was caused by me thinking way too far ahead.” This sums up my life in a nutshell. *sigh* Old habits (and ways of thinking) die hard.