I spent a precious 33.5 hours alone at home this weekend. Not that I'm counting or anything.
I've been trying to finish up a big project for months, my first solo program evaluation of a nonprofit organization. It's been a long and interesting (but only to me...I'll spare you the details) process but with the kids home full time it's been difficult to do the final data analysis and write the report.
The shadow of this expectation started looming large but my hearty procrastination skills rose to the challenge and I kept thinking "I'll get to it tonight, after everyone's in bed"... "I'll get up early in the morning"... "once I read up on this statistical procedure I'll be ready"...and so on. Some projects are just too huge for the usual multi-tasking, chipping-away approach! {Or at least that's what I told myself. Also, I really think I might have late-onset ADD lately. I cannot manage to quiet my brain but flit from project to project, thought to thought without much productivity. Please advise.}
Enter G {husband + father extraordinaire...dadadaDA} who kissed me on the forehead, packed up the kids, and headed to Vermont to camp and cook over a fire and tube down a river. As soon as they left, I decided my fridge needed scrubbing
{curse you, productive neglect!} but after that I sat down for seven hours, went to bed, woke up and sat down and worked for eight more. Take that, Procrastination Vader and ADDish bright-shiny-object chaser!
Last year sometime I wrote about my great Grandma's philosophy of occasionally packing up and "
going to live with the bears" (or, in my case, sending everyone else to the bears). I think we all need that now and then, whether it's to finish something up or to get a new perspective or to recharge. Even if it's just an hour. Or fifteen minutes.
p.s. It must be in the air right now. Once I resurfaced I read about a couple of others who are taking peace+quiet project vacations, too. I love what
Brene says about taking the time and fighting the "who-do-you-think-you-are" thoughts (and I just had an almost identical conversation about success with some of my friends in my PhD program...I'll have to post about that another time).
Tara the magnificent also rocked the home quiet while her kids lived with the bears elsewhere for a while.
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Monday, July 21, 2008
Reader Comments (7)
Good for you! While packing up for our CA trip I fantasized richly and deeply about sending them all and just staying home.
You are the kind of person I'd love to spend a contemplative afternoon with-- I think you'd help me find some of the answers!
Talk about procrastinating... off to pull my Gospel Doctrine lesson together.
Keep writing Annie. I love reading your thoughts.
Way to be productive! Another fine example of G pulling out all the stops to be a great husband. And I am proud of you for taming your inner ADD and getting your work done. Now you're ready to play with me, right?
I love this concept. For me, while you were growing up, my little bear retreat was when your dad was out of town, and you were all in bed at night. That is how I became a night owl. The other night at a little gathering here, I found out that all the women were night owls. It must be a gender/need thing. I think we as mothers were forced to create our own oasis of time and space. Anyone? :-} Love, me/ma
Oh, and God bless Greg! Love him! Ma
Yeah for you! And G is a true knight in shining armour to do that. I just think it is so cool that you are doing a phd program. And cleaning refrigerators in your spare time. :)
Even though I am the one on the extra long vacay {the KIDS are with ME}--my husband is the lucky one living with the bears... (hopefully he is knee-deep in the honey-do list...)
Way to go on finishing your project!
G, you rock.
I love the idea of a "Peace & Quiet" vacation! I need one of those. I'm so glad you got stuff done!