Extra Credit Post: Reflection of the Busy Article by Powers

Of all the readings we did this semester, the reading by Powers and William on depth in this busy world was my favorite. Trying to juggle all the balls I keep in the air (work, school, motherhood, being a wife, taking care of myself, being a friend, being a daughter, volunteering, etc.) daily is a real struggle. Even now I’m typing this on the floor of the bathroom, while my daughter takes a bath, and dinner finishes in the crock pot. Like the example of stopping at a stop sign, I thought about all the tasks I do throughout the hours, weeks, days, that I get done purely based on habit, reaction (things like getting ready in the morning, driving to work, my morning routine to get organize to start my day, etc.) Then I thought about all the things that I do that I stop and take in. The things in my day that really “flood my consciousness with thoughts and feelings” as the article put it, and I must admit that list is much shorter (coming home from work and getting that first big hug from my daughter after a long day, hugs and prayers before bed, and holding her hand as she falls asleep, and especially our time watching movies on Saturday nights). The most recent moment that I had lately that Ï enjoyed most as it unfolded and that I will treasure for the rest of my life was going to see the live action Beauty and the Beast with my mother and daughter. It was something that I experienced so deeply. Beauty and the Beast was a movie that my mom and I always watched as a kid, and getting to share that moment with my mom on one side and my daughter on the other was an incredibly emotional experience for me. I particularly like the like in the article “every life has the potential to be lived deeply” and it was a real wakeup call reading that most of the things that we do that keep us busy aren’t things that we have to do, but things we choose to do, because it’s so true!