Busy vs Priority?

So i realize i quickly stopped blogging. I guess life gets busy and then settles down. Or at least that's what i thought would happen - you know, that life would eventually settle down. But that is quite the opposite of what has happened in my life.

This time last year i was finalizing my thesis, preparing to present, job hunting, and struggling with getting out of an unhealthy relationship. When i finished up the 2 years of being a full time graduate student and a full time staff person at a university - i thought i would have ungodly amounts of free time to spend as i wished. And then when i got my new job - i thought, well, the new job is what is taking up all my time, i'll feel better and like i have more time when my job isn't so new.

Then i finally ended a 3 year relationship and i was like - you know, i'm going to have so much more time now that i don't have to deal with all this drama and stress.

I'm beginning to feel a bit like the take out cashier in the movie "Dude Where's my Car?"...

and THEN...

I met the best guy ever and started spending time with him.

And we were talking the other day about how life is busy. And no matter what you do, or what you think - life just keeps you busy. And i tend to not be able to say no to things (although my boyfriend says that i have no problem saying no to him :).

Yesterday he was telling me about how his friend just told him about how he's throwing his fiance a birthday party this weekend and that we should come. When he told me that we both just sort of laughed about someone asking us to do something on a friday or saturday night without more than a two week advance notice. I mean - it's crazy. I have to plan a month out to do anything unless its just spur of the moment plans or something falls through.

So i guess instead of waiting for life to stop being busy - it's more about continually re-prioritizing things. What's most important right now? What will be most important in 2 weeks?

Right here - right now, it seemed like getting back in touch was a priority. For what it's worth - i'm going to work on continuing to make it a priority!

Scary Times

So, our nation is definitely in a time of crisis. I feel like the state in which i work is also up against major heartache as our governor seems pretty hell bent on not taking the stimulus money that every other state has accepted.

It seems that his personal desires to "be right" are outweighing the implications that are ahead for every person in South Carolina regardless of whether he is right or wrong. If he doesn't accept the stimulus money - it would result in major layoffs to many organizations, and I'm scared to say that i'm nervous for my own job and those around me if he doesn't change his mind. Regardless of whether Obama's stimulus package fails or succeeds - we'll be involved in paying money back as citizens of the USA. The only different for South Carolina folk is that we won't have benefitted from any of the stimulus money being put into the economy in our state.

I am not pretending to know everything about this situation. But the state of our economy is starting to sink into my system a bit. It's all becoming so real that i can taste it. I can feel the pinch on my paycheck, i can feel the tension in our organization. I see the scared look on everyone's faces...

Today as i was driving back to work from a meeting, i saw a middle aged woman standing on the side of the road near a shopping center holding a sign:

"Please help - Single mother of 2 and lost my job"

It's all around us. Even on street corners in tiny towns. You can't escape it.

I guess today the prayer of the hour is that our governor can step outside his own personal agenda and know that his decision impacts so much more than just his future political career. If anything- but making this decision based on a political agenda, he's showing us that being right is more important than anything else. And while i love to be right (who doesn't?) - sometimes that isn't always the bottom line.