Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Perhaps a Parasol Would Help

I’m finding it a little hard to balance critical pieces of my life right now. Work and working out. Communicating with old friends and blog friends. Taking care of my apartment and taking care of my yearning to spend hours with Mr. Wonderful.

That last one seems to be the trickiest. Last weekend I was with him Friday night, Saturday night, all day Sunday and Sunday night. This meant hours upon hours of getting to gaze into those sleepy brown eyes, kiss him whenever I wanted, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner with him. But it also meant coming home to a house in desperate need of a good vacuuming, bills that had to be paid pronto, a stack of magazines begging me to read them, attention-starved cats, quite a bit of laundry and a shriveled Gerbera daisy in the latter stages of dehydration on my front steps.

It made me want…a helicopter.

I like to think I’m an expert at spinning a dozen plates at once. I try to squeeze in family time between visits with friends, my To Do lists piling up and spilling out of every purse on my coat rack. But something always gets neglected—sleep, exercise, bank statements, the linoleum in my kitchen. And it’s tricky because as much as I really truly want to keep all of those other things in check, I can’t help but succumb to the pull of his allergen-free (yes, he’s allergic to Monty and Zoë) house in the hills. Maybe it’s my escape shoot. Maybe devoting so much time to him is my way of running away from all the chores and other life demands.

He and I always joke around about how we’re going to buy a vineyard in Italy and just move away…and sometimes I think I’d really like to do that! Not that I don’t love my family and friends and job and comforts of living minutes from my hometown. But here, I’m so…accessible. There I could live in a world of continuous new experiences and endless free time. I could get caught up on scrapbooks, jewelry-making, cupboards I want to organize, stories I want to write.

I know, I know. I shouldn’t complain. These are the burdens of a rich, fulfilling life. But sometimes I think it might be nice, just for a little while, to go live in an igloo in the middle of Alaska. With a helicopter, of course.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ah, the days of the new relationships. I remember those... you can't seem to pry yourself away but then when you get home, the pile of work/life/reality waits for you with no patience. Fun times. But always worth it, no? :P

Anonymous said...

I hear you! Oh man, do I hear you.


Thanks for visiting my site. :)

Alysha said...

If you ever figure out how to balance it, let me know! I love to run away. In fact, whenever life gets to crazy, I immediately begin planning my next escape... I haven't decided if it is a good thing, or if I should just get some therapy and learn how to face my life! :-)

Anonymous said...

sounds like you two need to move in together....and if it happens to be to a vineyard in Italy, Danny and I will be on the first plane out to visit!

megabrooke said...

Amen to this one sister. It's so tricky to find that delicate balance.

The Vineyard in Italy though? Sounds divine!

Anonymous said...

(tongue planted firmly in cheek)

Um... (says the guy with plenty of time to clean his house)... I'm 'tryin to have sympathy for ya here. Really I am...

I'll keep working on it... ;)

Kidding aside, I'm sure you'll figure out the answer to the dilemma soon enough, 'cuz you're smart like that.

Me, though, I'd rather take a cabin in the Sierras than in igloo any day of the week. Funny thing, though: ever since I was a kid, I wanted to learn how to fly a helicopter. So if you ever need a pilot, just let me know...

Hannah said...

Having a house in Tuscany is in my top 5 life goals. I love it there. How about we go halfsies on a 10 bed room villa?

Anita said...

awww...the joys of early relationship bliss. I had a similar experience except instead of neglecting cats, I neglected a roommate who, to this day, makes fun of me for moving in with the intention of being a single cohort of hers to having a boyfriend after a month. :) Eventually, it all evens out but in the end, you always just feel like if you had more hours in a day you could manage it all.

Melissa Maris said...

Jane - Yes, it is worth it. I guess I'll just have to come to terms with having a messy apartment. :)

Justrun - Your site is great! I'm bummed it took me this long to check it out!

Alysha - I so admire that about you. I wish I ran away more often than I did. Keeps things interesting.

Laura - We'll build you and Danny a guest house out back.

Brookem - I know. It's like I can balance my house and Mr. W but my friends get left out or I do family and friends and Mr. W gets left out. Seems like there's no way to win.

Geekhiker - Whatever, you know you're going to be writing a post just like this soon. Enjoy your dateless time while you can!!! And yes, you can be my heli pilot.

Hannah - I'll start drafting the paperwork.

Anita - Ah yes, the single friends are the hardest. I've been on both sides of that conundrum, and it's a tough one.

Michael C said...

What a wonderful post. What the hell is a parasol????



;-)

Lara Watkins said...

You could always be like me and leave the comforts of family, friends, job and home to live in the beautiful farmland of Lehi, Utah...any takers?

Anonymous said...

Can you get me one of those too while your at it - a helicopter sounds pretty fantastic. I've been feeling this same way lately, it's good that you have a great guy & great friends and family, but sometimes it's hard work making time for all of them. I am finding lately someone always feels left out & unfortuntaely usually that person is yourself. But a villa in Italy sounds like fun, who knows maybe it will come with George Clooney.

Anonymous said...

Balance? What mean this thing "balance?"

Just popped over from justrun to wish you luck on your 1/2 marathon. I just started running myself and have my first race on Tuesday.

Let us know how it goes.