I think that stress helps you prioritize. As things get crazier and crazier you have to choose what is the most important to you to do and let everything else go by the wayside. For example, on my list of things to do was “label bath fizzys”. In my mind this meant all 2000+ of them that need to be labeled. Reality? Just the 60+ of each I need to bring to my first craft show of the season. The rest? I’ll do them later when I need to, when it becomes more important to do that than anything else. I can label other things while actually at the show, I am sure that between 9 am and midnight I’ll have some time on my hands, enough to fold flyers, label bags, address postcards and newsletter envelopes, etc.
I have friends that will stay up late, even forgo sleep, just to get “everything done”. Me I just start to tick things off the list- from both the top and the bottom. Ehh? From the top AND from the bottom? What could this mean? Well, this is a technique I learned when working in summer stock theatre. We would get a design in that there was no humanly way could be built in the two or three weeks we had to build it. OK, It could be built, but there was NO WAY the paint crew was going to get it painted. So we prioritized. We painted the pieces that were absolutely needed for the show, the big pieces, the flashy pieces, and the rest (like say a scene out a window) would be put to last. If we were lucky the show would go into rehearsals before we got to these last things, and they would be cut from the show, before paint ever hit canvas or wood. The director didn’t need them, the producers didn’t care, only the designers got mad that their entire vision never hit the stage. And the show was no worse for the cuts, take my advice.
So this is what I do now. Make a list, start from the top, and if it is properly prioritized, somewhere in the middle, the rest can just be let go. And I can relax, and get some sleep, and eat a good meal or two. And if for some odd reason I run ahead of schedule, well then I get to see my total vision, but honestly, the show isn’t any worse for it. Promise.
Sunday dad left for work in the afternoon and I had a few hours to work in the shop before picking C up from the airport. He had a scar, his bag got stuck somewhere and was the last off the baggage machine, after a long pause…
Monday was tax day. I hate doing taxes. Federal tax, State tax, local tax, sales tax, use tax… I fill out more darn tax form a year than should be needed.
Tuesday I started in with a headache, took a nap in the afternoon to try and put off the eventual migraine that I knew it would be. Got myself out of the house long enough to take a composting class in the evening and got a free compost bin out of the deal. Got home and went to bed… C was in NY visiting a friend from college so I got the whole bed and all the cats….
Wednesday.. headache city..oh wait, I forgot the darn dogwood trees are flowering- this is a sinus headache! A few good doses of allergy meds later, and voila! No headache. Nice to know I suffered for two days due to my own stupidity! But I did get a few big projects done- lost of labeling!
Thursday: made soap. Worked on my monster list of things to do. Stressed some more.
Friday I started the morning with errands and picking up stuff from H to bring down to the MLAC show for him. It was one of those days that even took the fun out of going to the yarn store because I just had so much to do that I couldn’t enjoy it, I just needed to get what I needed and get out. I did buy myself a kit to knit a cool skirt though.
Saturday I worked in the shop. We tried a new place for lunch it is Italian and has a full gluten free menu. My pizza was great, too bad C’s & dad’s calzones weren’t anything special. But at least I have a place I can get gluten free pizza! Yay! Now I just need a decent bakery and I’ll be set. At night my cousin B, her husband B and their son A came to visit for a few hours. I love getting to see them and it is never for long enough. C and I are going to try and visit them more this year for sure.
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