One Bag Nation

My daughter greeted me with this note when I went to pick her up at daycare the other day. (If you have trouble deciphering kindergarten spelling, it says “You Were Late, Really Late”).

I was hit with a tidal wave of Mommy Guilt.

The worst part is, I had completely forgotten about the event scheduled that day (a singalong) and I didn’t even know I was late! What was I doing instead? Cleaning house, blogging, working, starting dinner . . . whatever it was, it wasn’t as important to my daughter – or to me – than going to the singalong.

I’ve been writing a lot about physical clutter, but I suffer from mental clutter too – mostly in the form of procrastination, coupled with trying to do too much. I have a lot of interests and many balls in the air (not a bad thing in and of itself) but I’m unrealistic about what I can accomplish in a day.

And then there’s my internet addiction.

Balancing my roles as mother, wife, daughter, friend, worker bee, entrepreneur, household manager (and person!) is very hard for me. It feels awful that I was so wrapped up in some chore or task that I forgot about my daughter’s event. Her sad little note is still here at my desk, not so much to chastise me as to remind me that living by my true priorities is the surest way to order, serenity and peace of mind.