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Tuesday, November 11, 2008

The Myth of "Me Time"

So I started this blog to give myself somewhere to record my son's all too brief childhood (yeah, he's still only 2, he didn't graduate college while you weren't looking or anything, I'm just going through some pictures today and feeling nostalgic) and to provide myself with a creative outlet where I could express what being a Mom feels like to me and also work on not losing any more of the vocabulary and writing skills I spent so much of my life acquiring. Hello student loans! In short, it was supposed to be something that I could do with my "me time."

Now "me time" is something that a lot of people, especially Moms hear about a lot. It's this mythic portion of the day where we are supposed to do something just for ourselves like take a bubble bath, or read a novel or write a blog or sit on the toilet without someone beating on the door and screaming, "mommy!". Whatever. The point is that we are supposed to remember that we have value as an individual human being and not just because of our relationships with others. This sounds wonderful, and I will admit that my husband tries very hard to provide me with these opportunities. The problem is that I seldom take them, these days.

I am so busy trying to keep the house ready for showing, keep food in the fridge & clothes clean and in their respective closets and drawers, stay on top of volunteering at my son's school, soliciting silent auction items for said school, attending performances and parent-teacher conferences there, creating Christmas gifts, finally emailing friends photos from their baby shower 4 MONTHS ago (I'm so sorry K&T! The baby is beautiful!), and NOT properly fulfilling my duties as VP of Membership for MOMS Club that I don't feel like I can breathe, much less relax.

This is why, for me, "Me Time" is a total myth. I'm even trying to wrap this post up before it's really complete, or I've said what I really came here to say because I have to pick Grasshopper up from school in half an hour and it would be really helpful if I ate something for the first time today so that I don't pass out on the way home.

How do you take time for yourself when there simply is NO TIME?

2 comments:

Shalet said...

I don't really have any suggestions other to say that I sympathize. The only place I get to go to the bathroom by myself is at work (thankfully my co-workers don't try to come and join me). And I can't tell you the last time I showered all by myself. Such is the life of a mother. Someday I'll probably miss it.

Unknown said...

Wow - it's amazing how much I know EXACTLY what you're talking about now that I see it written down.