Keeping Your Shit Together When You're Doing 50 Different Things

And, of course, by "your" I mean "my". I'm not complaining. Throughout my life I've alternated between being slammed with too much work and not having anything to do. I've had more of the former this year than the latter, and that's good. I've managed to take some nice -- if short -- vacations and spend lots of quality time with my family. I hestitate to say much about a certain venture I've been making strides toward implementing, but I will say that it's big and I've interviewed twice. I have another interview next Thursday. It will be a lot of work but worth it, now and down the road. Best of all, it won't take me away from teaching.

Speaking of teaching, when I returned from class tonight I saw an email from a former colleague. (Actually, when I came home the first thing I did was start the rice steamer then put on my tennies and immediately took a half-hour walk. I'm getting good at this daily exercise stuff; more importantly, I didn't want to get stuck doing weird balance ball stuff at 9:00 p.m., as was the case last night. I came home to cooked rice and my wonderful New Mexican stew, which had been simmering in the crockpot while I was working.) The email was asking me if I'd be interested in teaching a class at the university where he works. The times are perfect -- no conflict with my other fall classes -- and I assume it is a "regular" fifteen or sixteen week class, a nice break from the seven and eight week classes I've been teaching.

In the midst of planning out my fall semester, I'm finishing my two current classes, fighting with my insurance company for the claim check to fix my cabinets and floors, catching up on my bills (after getting screwed on my pay two months in a row), taking care of estate-related issues, and more things than I care to count. I'm not entirely sure I'm achieving the goal of my title. I haven't completely lost it yet -- although I did come close on Monday. My grading is caught up, I'm scoring half a day tomorrow, and then I think I'll go to the pool or the beach for a few hours. Sitting in this house, torn up as it is while awaiting repairs, is depressing. I can't always get out when I have things to take care of, but I've been working hard and am ready for at least a little break. Plus, I'll get my exercise in early and not have to worry about it in the evening. Life is good, if hectic.