Where do you find the time?

When I spoke to the Jonesboro MOPS last week about Homesteading, I handed out little slips of paper for audience members to write questions on.  My plan was to collect them at the end of my talk and answer them aloud -- that way even the most reserved among the audience could voice her question without fear.  You know what they say about the best laid plans, though.  Several audience members just wanted to voice their own questions, which was great, and we never got back to the question slips.  After the presentation, I found a few question strips left on the tables.  Most of them contained questions that I'd answered, but there were a few that went unanswered.  For example:

"How do you find time for it all?"

It's a very good question. I'd just spent 45 minutes talking about growing our own food, tending chickens and the rabbit, making fresh juice for breakfast every morning, canning food, making cleaning supplies, etc.  Just hearing about it is enough to wear anyone out.  

It reminds me of back in college.  I dreaded the first day of a new class.  The professor would distribute the syllabus and go over EVERY SINGLE PROJECT I'd have to turn in during the course of the semester.  It was overwhelming.  But, that was, of course, because I was looking at it all at once.  Taken one day at a time, it was actually a very manageable workload.  That's how our lifestyle is.  Yes, the garden has to be tended and the bread baked and the soap made and so on, but that doesn't all happen at the same time.

Also, I'll say this.  If something seems like it isn't worth the time, then it may not be.  I feel like it's so trendy right now to eat organically and make your own cleaning products and so on.  But, that doesn't have to be a part of your experience of motherhood or life.  If those things don't seem worth your time, that may be a clue that you simply don't value them.  If that's the case, then those things just may not be for you.  Don't do it just because everyone else seems to be.  Life's too short.

But, back to finding the time . . . I am a Type-A personality who makes lists daily and crosses things off, grinds my teeth in my sleep because I cannot relax, and usually only sits down during the course of the day to blog.  It seems I am not happy if I do not have a project underway.  (I sound a little bit insane, don't I?  I am working on slowing down and just being in the moment more.  The ability to do so is a trait I often envy in others.)

Also, we do not own a television.  Yes, you read that right.  Once again, I sound insane.  We do occasionally watch shows online or rent movies that we watch on our computer.  But since the latests findings are that the average American watches about 151 hours of TV per month (or about 5 hours per day), you can see how the absence of a television would free up some major time for other activities. 

So, I am a certifiably insane Energizer Bunny who doesn't stop for TV time.  Maybe that's the most concise answer to the audience member's question.  Perhaps it was best that she didn't get to ask.  :)