Delegating

I have been overwhelmed with all of the things that need to be done: Finishing moving things in and out of the house, making it a home, taking care of the animals we have bought, brought and inherited, yard, garden, greenhouse, bees, cooking, cleaning (HA!), paying job, getting ready for school, so on and so forth. These are things all working parents and homesteaders understand, I am sure.

I wanted to be able to do everything, but that is really just unrealistic. ( I am a dreamy pisces, right?) All it is doing is making me tired, stressed and aging me inside and out and I am not accomplishing anything.

Well, I am going to do something different-delegate. I have chosen my top four priorities. These include cooking, keeping the house, maintaining the budget (not by my choice), and working the greenhouse/ garden. I think these meld well for me. Maintain the budget so I know how much to spend on food, household items and greenhouse supplies, cook so I know what to grow and preserve from the greenhouse and gardens and how much I can shave off the budget--you see where I am going with this? This leaves all the animals and outside work and maintenance for the rest of the family to divide up. Of course, everybody needs to know how to do everything enough to get by and everybody has to help. That's the way it is supposed to work.

I will still be helping milk the goats, make cheese, butcher the chickens, wash the eggs, work the bees and extract the honey, etc. And I will have help getting the clothes off the line, unloading the dishwasher and grocery shopping. But everyone has their own responsibilities and I have to let them have it. I can't control everything and I think that was part of the problem. I felt like I needed to. No, I don't.

A friend of mine, who in a two years time span has made a beautiful homesite that I am completely envious of, said focus on one thing at a time. She is right. Otherwise, everything gets started and everything gets left undone. That is one of my biggest concerns, the one thing that I want to change for my sanity, as well as what I can teach the kids. Without focus, I am constantly in another time-should have (past) and need to (future) or in another place (what needs the most work today). I am not living in the present and that is a large reason for this homestead, to enjoy every moment, good, bad, beautiful that life has to offer.

So, we will see how this "letting go" goes for me. To be honest, I feel lighter in mind and spirit already. Ahhh!