small tasks
"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish small tasks as if they were great and noble."
~Helen Keller
The other day, I plopped myself in bed and realized that I hadn't stopped doing something the whole entire day. It was a Sunday, actually, but this scenario could very easily apply to other days of the week. This particular day was filled with visiting teaching, preparing meals before church, getting 4 kids ready, patiently enduring Sacrament meeting with the kids, spending 2 more hours with my nap-deprived little boys as well as the other sleep-deprived children in our nursery. And then coming home to make a nice meal, complete with dessert and then entertaining the kids with wholesome activities that didn't involve the television. I was completely exhausted...and yet at the end of the day, all I could do was look at the kitchen sink and burst into tears because the dishes still needed to be done. After this kind of day I think about whether or not my labor is comparable to the non-stop paced life of, say, the President of the U.S. And I struggle to not get down on myself for the lack of overwhelmingly wonderful tasks, or something a little more grand to show for the under-eye bags and the fatigue.
I think I tell you this so you know that I'm right there with you. I feel overwhelmed a lot... and there are a ton of things that I do that I feel are so utterly mundane and other things I feel that I should give 120% every.single.time. (pretty unrealistic, right?)
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that even the small everyday tasks are tasks, and even great ones at that. They require dedication, endurance, and sweat. They may never bring you accolade, but they contribute to the big picture. Besides, I love that my kids think I'm the world's greatest cook, my girls love it that I fix their hair like princesses, and they all have learned to be neat and tidy and eat practically every kind of vegetable out there, cooked or raw :)
Please join me in giving yourself a little more credit and cutting yourself some slack :)
~Nataly
The other day, I plopped myself in bed and realized that I hadn't stopped doing something the whole entire day. It was a Sunday, actually, but this scenario could very easily apply to other days of the week. This particular day was filled with visiting teaching, preparing meals before church, getting 4 kids ready, patiently enduring Sacrament meeting with the kids, spending 2 more hours with my nap-deprived little boys as well as the other sleep-deprived children in our nursery. And then coming home to make a nice meal, complete with dessert and then entertaining the kids with wholesome activities that didn't involve the television. I was completely exhausted...and yet at the end of the day, all I could do was look at the kitchen sink and burst into tears because the dishes still needed to be done. After this kind of day I think about whether or not my labor is comparable to the non-stop paced life of, say, the President of the U.S. And I struggle to not get down on myself for the lack of overwhelmingly wonderful tasks, or something a little more grand to show for the under-eye bags and the fatigue.
I think I tell you this so you know that I'm right there with you. I feel overwhelmed a lot... and there are a ton of things that I do that I feel are so utterly mundane and other things I feel that I should give 120% every.single.time. (pretty unrealistic, right?)
So, I guess what I'm trying to say is that even the small everyday tasks are tasks, and even great ones at that. They require dedication, endurance, and sweat. They may never bring you accolade, but they contribute to the big picture. Besides, I love that my kids think I'm the world's greatest cook, my girls love it that I fix their hair like princesses, and they all have learned to be neat and tidy and eat practically every kind of vegetable out there, cooked or raw :)
Please join me in giving yourself a little more credit and cutting yourself some slack :)
~Nataly
2 comments:
Thanks, Nataly! We definitely all need to keep this perspective. We ARE making a great difference, it's just a little at a time. (Have you read "In Praise of Stay-at-Home-Moms" by Laura Schelssinger? I very highly recommend it.)
Totally what I needed to read! Thank you! I truly enjoy reading your insights and love the person you are!
Post a Comment