I might be alone in this (although I doubt it just a little bit) but fall is always a season of “new beginnings” for me.

I know, I know – a large number of people feel spring is a more appropriate time to “start over”, as the saying goes.  But for me, that chance to start something new or make a change is always associated with the changing color of leaves, the crisp fall air, apple cider and cake donuts, holiday meals being planned (I’m getting hungry!) . . . where was I again?

Oh yeah, renewal.

It’s no secret I’m busy.  I would say I’m a “busy mom” but that’s redundant since EVERY mom I know whose children are still in the home is busy!

Nevertheless, I have the amazing opportunity to spend much of my “work” time (aka, time I get paid for) in the performing arts.  Some of these jobs are seasonal and come and go from one year to the next.  The down side?  These same jobs take up my time in the evenings at least a couple of nights a week and one of them occasionally needs me on the weekends.

I love to be busy and wouldn’t know how to function if I had a safe, predictable, nothing-exciting-ever-happens kind of work situation.  But it would be FAR too easy to over-commit myself, thus making me useless to pretty much everyone!

So now the big question – what, if anything, should I commit my evenings to besides the theatrical productions I get paid to work with?  This is never an easy question to answer because there are so many good things I could be doing; fun things; worthwhile things.  But as my husband loves to say, “You can’t do everything”.  He’s right.  At some point, I have to say “No more.”

I still have children living in my home, laundry to do, meals to prepare, grades to enter, music to rehearse, etc. and I need to allocate my time wisely.  Before you begin to point out that my children could be helping with some of those tasks I just mentioned, let me stop you.  (1) My children are responsible to do their own laundry but my husband and I can produce 6 to 8 loads a week just between the two of us (work clothes, casual clothes, etc.) and that doesn’t include towels, bedding, etc. (2) I will not pawn chores off on my kids just so I can go play.  Yes, I need time to recharge my batteries so I don’t get cranky from feeling overloaded and stressed.  But being gone more nights than I am home just does not seem wise REGARDLESS of whether or not family members help out with chores.

So I’ve set a deadline (of sorts) for myself to get some things sorted out and decide whether or not to give away even more of my evening time to other activities or not.  Here’s hoping and praying (LOTS of praying) that I get it right!

Sometimes being a grown up is hard work!