catch-up [kach-uhp]
an effort to reach or pass a norm, esp. after a period of delay; an approach or strategy intended to overcome a disadvantage or lead
Synonyms include: pick-up, hustle, draw near, close in

Playing catch-up – that’s what I feel like I’ve been trying to do since November 30th! Ever since I got home from the trip, I feel like all I’ve been doing is trying to keep up with everything and everyone around me. When I got home, it was suddenly Christmas time, then the New Year came, then weddings, birthdays and farewells to plan and attend, plus work got really busy and then some financials whacked me in the ass, sleep suddenly became optional and now I feel like I’m finally getting a slight handle on things (“Slight” meaning “barely” and “handle” meaning “gripping on to what’s left of my sanity”).

This weekend I tried to, as Riann would say, “get it together.” The meaning of this mission is 3-fold:
1) Get more rest
2) Learn what it means to manage time more wisely
3) Figure out a way to make #1 and #2 work as a team

So this weekend, aside from a few errands and a unique bridal expo at the Ritz Carlton (Thanks again, Iya!), I set to get my act together. I got about 12 hours of sleep on Friday night (which has been equivalent to maybe 3 days of sleep during the workweek these last few weeks) and I awoke on Saturday morning at 7 am, refreshed and ready to start the day. I drove my sister to basketball practice, dropped my car off at the dealers to get serviced and walked back to my house. I’d say that’s about 10 blocks worth. But I turned the nano on, got on my merry way, content as I could be at that moment…halfway through, wishing I lived farther.

Walking, whether you’re alone or with company, is a catalyst for inadvertent meditation. Everything you stroll by, whether it’s an old man walking his Yorkshire terrier (who is wearing the cutest argyle sweater)up the street, or the entire boulevard of cars built like a vehicular fortress of commerce, can trigger memories or reverie you are sometimes not prepared to encounter. Suddenly you find yourself at peace because your pace on the pavement, the sounds in your ear and the thoughts in your head somehow find themselves in sync with each other and every moment that you felt scatterbrained before, has passed. I loved that walk for everything it made me feel. For one thing, it felt like one of our typical days in Italy: wake up early, walk a lot, stop at a church. Hahaha!

Anyhow, the moral of the story? When you take the time to JUST BE, there may never be a need TO catch up with the rest of your life. In the midst of chaos, a quick respite (i.e. a walk around the neighborhood) will probably yield more results than the constant need to get everything done and make everyone happy all at the same time.