January and February are months of True Drudgery for me. My duties and tasks are overwhelming. Is it this way for everyone, specifically in Jan-Feb?
In 2024 I wrote myself a Jan-Feb To Do list, I guess so I wouldn’t be surprised by anything, such as:
It’s January 15th! Have you paid your quarterly estimated taxes? Due today!
Church stats (this is actually 9 separate tasks). Forget the Feb GA deadline, YOUR deadline is January 26th!
People are clamoring for retreat info. Better send that email soon!
Learn the music for the retreat! Better practice some more! And get that song lyric sheet done and printed.
Why are the Christmas decorations not in the attic? Eh?!
Where is your email inviting voters in your precinct to the fundraiser for which the deadline is in 10 days? Better get on that!
And so on.
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| I completed these tasks. |
There are 55 individual items on my list for these two months. So far I have completed 24 of them. That’s just the regular stuff. I have also had a $#!t-ton of stuff to do in the grassroots category, all rushed and desperate-feeling, and not part of the 55 tasks.
I feel competent to do each task individually, but not competent to complete all of them during this short time period. I even would enjoy doing some of them, if they weren’t bunched together.
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| Most of these are not yet finished. The deadline looms. |
The Common Household Husband is facing huge stresses, real and equally overwhelming.
Add to this the anxiety of just living in these times.
And the challenges that come naturally with aging.
And the tasks that come with our paid jobs.
And winter storms.
And prolonged cold.
And the grocery store always being out of raw-fresh-not-frozen turkey breast to roast at home.
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| Another 2 inches of snow overnight. Windchill in the negatives. |
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| Had to shovel a carveout to reach the mailbox. |
Sooner or later something in the Common Household was bound to explode. Two nights ago it did. Both members of this household uttered harsh words. Used nasty tones to each other. A door was slammed. Both members of this household went to bed angry with each other.
The next morning, thanks to both members of this household being thinking and feeling human beings, we said our apologies to each other, and acknowledged that the unbearable stress is getting to us.
This is all while we are adequately fed, clothed, and sheltered. I cannot imagine the trauma of those being beaten down by our own government, literally beaten, shackled, threatened, tossed around, separated from family, racially profiled, subjected to illness, disappeared. And murdered. All that is brought to us by several unfeeling, greedy, racist human beings, and moreover by their enablers who hope to profit. Never forget that human beings are capable of what they are doing.
All this is to say, please take care of yourselves and each other. The Common Household Husband and I said out loud that we must recognize when the stresses are getting overwhelming for each of us, and take extra precautions not to act or react harshly.
Please do gather in groups of people who will care for and look out for each other.
Please do art.
Please do music and singing. Keep a song in your pocket. Here is mine for this year.
Find beauty. Encourage each other. As the scripture I heard today says:
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. - Philippians 4:8
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| Pie should be on that list in Philippians 4:8. |
