Whew.

I didn't expect summer to exhaust me so much. Thankfully, I'm spending a week at the beach soon with my family, including my adorable niece & nephew. This is good, if for no other reason than it will force me to stop buying a plethora of sand toys, beach gear, inflatables, games, and other prizes for the kids.


I'm definitely enjoying the time off, but this summer has shaped up to be much busier than I anticipated. Last summer I scheduled my exercise & errands around prime time at the pool; I had determined the best time for finding a coveted chair in the sun, with the fewest splashy kids, etc. This year, I've been to the pool once ... and that was because my friend called in desperation, at her wits' end with her kids & in need of a few hours out of her house.


I purposely wanted this summer to be more productive, and made deliberate attempts to create more structure to my days. I'm meeting a friend to exercise each morning (my body refuses to break the early a.m. schedule, so "sleeping in" is nonexistent). I'm assisting with women's ESL classes at the local Hispanic center, and helping out with at-risk kids on the weekends. I love the experiences - especially teaching, which surprised me. It's so different to teach people who are intrisically motivated and actually want to learn. How refreshing.


I feel like I spend most of my days rushing around town, trying to check things off the "to do" list in order to feel productive. Granted, I've done every government-required & manufacturer-suggested task related to my vehicle, and I've gotten a decent amount of Christmas shopping done, but I want to relax a little this summer, too. I even checked out a movie from the library, and never got around to watching it ... for an entire week! Something is wrong with this picture.

I've never had a problem with relaxing before ... I know I'm naturally a task-oriented person, but this is ridiculous. Thankfully, next week will be a welcomed break from my self-imposed hectic life, & I can't wait. I'm even excited about spending a week with my family ~ mostly because I'll have "roommates" again and won't come home to a quiet apartment every day. I even splurged and bought a kitchen torch so that I can carmelize the sugar on the creme brulee I plan to make. Maybe I'll get started on the stack of books I planned to read this summer.

Until then, I'll finish the laundry, pay bills, & attempt to find hiding places for the Christmas gifts I've found so far. Despite all this unexpected activity & rushing around, I still think I'll take this over mouthy teenagers & gossipy colleagues any day!