Busier-than-you Syndrome

I hate to admit it, but I think I've got it...Busier-than-you Syndrome.  When the question is posed "How was your day?" my standard answer has to include some little snippet about how busy I am or how crazy the end of the school year is or how insane it is getting ready for our trip out of town or how preoccupied I've been with trying to get the house organized.  It really can become quite exhausting coming up with reasons for being busy.  I remember one time in particular a friend asked me what I had been up to that day.  My mind frantically raced as I tried to come up with a laundry list of things I had done that day.  I came up short.  "Oh...just staying busy" I finally replied.  She nodded her head knowingly and smiled sympathetically.  Phew, that was a close one!

Since then I have wondered what it would have felt like to come back with something like "Well, today I really just felt like baking a batch of muffins and curling up with a good book.  So that's what I did."  I am a stay-at-home mom.  Life can get hectic, schedules get busy, blah, blah, blah.  But honestly, my kids are all in school and there are days when I have hours to fill up however I choose.  And even when they're home, they don't need me every second like they did when they were little.  There is no boss over my shoulder telling me what to do next.  I am really only accountable to myself and my family (to some extent) for how I spend my time.  I don't need to prove to anyone that I am a significant person because my days are jam-packed with busy-ness (whether real or invented).  I think sometimes we equate busy-ness levels with importance.  If I can show that I'm really busy then people will know how terribly important I am.  It sounds ridiculous when I put it out there like that. I believe that its important to spend my time wisely, doing things that will add value to the world around me and, in turn, help me feel fulfilled.   Keeping my hands quietly busy with things that matter will keep my heart full of peace and contentment.