Busy, Busy Weekends are Tiring

It's difficult to focus on any one thing when there are too many things on the schedule. Even if those things aren't supposed to happen right away. This week was particularly difficult because Saturday was overbooked. As in, quadruple-booked.

Most people would just take these things as they come, deal with them as they come up -- but I prefer to worry about them in advance so that I can be a complete nervous wreck by the time the actual day of the event(s) occurs. Stressing about it. Stewing about it. Wondering if it wouldn't be better for the world to come to an end so I wouldn't have to deal with it.

Friday was supposed to be the beginning of the Men's Retreat, and while I hadn't paid any money or signed my name to any piece of paper, it was written as an "event" on the family calendar, and it was in the back of my mind as something in which I would be participating.

But there was also another "event" on the calendar for Friday, a musical dinner theater at Bayli's school, which was going to require that someone provide transportation for James to get there. And it sounded very interesting, especially for those of us who spent a lot of time in high school performing in the musical arts. And, gee, it has really been a long time since Cheryl and I were able to go out and enjoy something fun like that. It would be a nice counterpoint to all this "being sick" stuff we've been going through.

So -- forgive me! -- we decided to accompany The Boy to the dinner theater, and had a wonderful time. It went on for three hours or so, the performances were fantastic, the food was very good, and it was nice to just hang out with Cheryl (and Bayli's dad) for awhile.

Saturday was supposed to be the second day of the Men's Retreat ... but it was also supposed to be my Chinese class. And I'd received an "emergency" call from the lady down at the Public Museum to let me know that they needed Engineering Merit Badge counselors for a big Scout event they were having, and as one of the few counselors for that badge in the area, I was her "last hope"!

So -- forgive me! -- I went downtown to help out with the Scouts and had a wonderful time. It was only a few hours, but I met a wonderful bunch of kids, some just starting out in Scouts and others who had been in for quite some time; we got to chat about the joy of taking things apart, the wonder of how things work, and the amazing opportunities to learn more about engineering in a place like the Museum. I was truly pumped up and excited by the time I left.

Then it was time to head home to help kids out with projects, push them to get their homework done, help a bit around the house with dinner, drive up north across slick, snowy roads to retrieve James (who had been playing at Bayli's house with some friends), discuss our Bible reading schedule with the family, and do a little work on tomorrow's Sunday School lesson.

I'm looking forward to having a weekend off with nothing to do. If that ever happens.