State Fair to Partly Cloudy

As the launch of the big project at work gets closer there seems to be increasingly more things to do with less time to do them.  It is not possible during the regular work week for me to meet my deadlines.  The consolations of working on a Saturday is that I can wear pants and I can listen to music without having to wear headphones. 

I was able to accomplish a lot and felt good about my progress but also felt stressed thinking about the week ahead.  For the first part of the week I teach in a city an hour's drive from here which requires me to leave home shortly after 6 a.m. On those same days I have meetings or presentations back here.  It will be a race to get back to be to those on time. I will get home after 9 p.m. to prepare for the same rat race the next day.  On Thursday, I have international meetings that start at 7 a.m. and end at 6 p.m. With commute times it  will be another 12+ hour day.

The weight of all of that made me feel that I needed to turn down my brother's invitation to go to the State Fair.  When he called I explained the situation and told him to have fun with his family. Sitting there alone in the dark, plugging away on this project, I cried at missing the opportunity to watch my nephew race his dad in the sack race; I cried that my house is a mess; I cried that I have neglected friends and family; and I cried that there are still a few months before this project will end.  

As I continued working my phone rang again. This time it was my sister-in-law re-extending the invitation to go to the fair. I was still hesitant to go but decided that I needed to walk away from work for a while.  I'm glad I did.