I don't mean to scare you, but- no actually that's not true, I TOTALLY mean to scare you. There is an addiction that you need to be VERY concerned about. It's probably not on your radar yet because experts have not yet started to ramp up awareness. In fact, there is probably a conspiracy to keep this subject in the dark. If everyday people found out about this addiction and decided to get serious about it, that would be disaster for the culture of power.
It starts out so innocently. In fact, back when you were innocent, your natural instinct was to avoid this addiction; you didn't even have to try. When you were in the seventh grade, no one had to tell you that waiting until the last minute would lead to lower productivity, you just knew, and you felt good about it. Yes, I'm talking about the Addiction to Productivity.
Later in life, perhaps in college, but maybe even in high school (this addiction is hitting people at younger and younger ages), you have your first productive day. You feel that high that comes from crossing off items on a list. You get that rush as you cross off the last item, and you realize you have time to spare. Oh it feels so good. There is a bounce in your step, a lightness of being. Oh, if only you could always feel this way!
And then you realize- you can! There is nothing to stop you from being productive tomorrow! In fact, you could make tomorrow's list RIGHT NOW! Oh, how you long to get started being productive again. In fact, thinking about how productive you are going to be tomorrow is actually turning into a buzz killer for today's high, maybe you should just get started on tomorrow now.
Oh, it seems harmless enough at first. In fact, being productive feels good. It makes you look good, you're confident when you talk to people. But don't be fooled. The size of the list of crossed off items that you need to get the same high just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Soon you just want to be productive all the time, even on holidays, and that's when you realize you're in trouble.
You are no longer happy with a day in which all you got done was coffee with friends. You can't just sit and while away an afternoon with a good book. When you don't feed your productivity addiction, inanimate objects start to "speak" to you.
The Laundry calls out, "Fold me! Put me away!"
The Van complains, "I'm so tired of being full of all this junk! Why don't you clean me out so I can feel light and empty?"
Stacks of files nudge you as you walk by. They look at you with sad eyes begging to be filed in alphabetical/chronological order.
When you don't feed your productivity addiction your self worth starts to plummet. You wonder, "What's the use in living? I'm not getting anything done anyhow."
You start to become paranoid, thinking, "No one likes me or cares about me now that I'm not getting anything done."
It's a scary world friends and only you can stop the spread of this addiction. Stand up and fight for change now! You should get on facebook and start a group to stop productivity addiction. Gather people in your home to discuss and support one another. Pass out fliers at large public events. Create a ribbon campaign of car magnets and pins! Get going! Get busy helping people recover from productivity addiction today! You'll feel good about all you're doing to make a difference.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Choose Your Own Adventure
Did you ever read those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books when you were a kid? They're not great literature, and sometimes not even great stories, but it was still fun to read them. It was fun the first time through just because you got to be in charge of where the story went. When you finished, it was just as fun to go back and try out different choices and see how that affected the story.
Yesterday when I was out at the beach in Muskegon, I thought about those books. The pier (or breakwall, I don't actually know the correct term) in Muskegon has giant rocks all along it. When I say "giant," think "squared off hunks of rock that are the size of cars or, in some cases, vans." Because the rocks are squared off and have flat sides, it's pretty easy to walk along them. Pretty easy. The challenge comes in when there is a good sized gap between rocks. When that happens, you might have to jump. Sometimes the rocks are tipped with an edge facing up, making a terrible landing spot for the jump. When that happens, or if the gap is too large, you have to choose another path. Other dangers involving the water are also close at hand. Rocks that are constantly wet are slippery with mossy seaweed and are off limits.
I don't usually walk on the rocks. I stay up on the flat, dry, safe pier itself. It's my children, all three, ages 7-12, who walk on the rocks. That's actually the reason I stay up on the pier. I'd have to choose between watching where I was walking and watching where they were walking if I was on the rocks. Besides the fact that there is actual danger in what they are doing, I just simply enjoy watching them on the rocks.
The 12 year old is very confident; he's been doing this for years. He likes to pick the most challenging path he can find. He likes to go right out to the edge of the dry rocks, down underneath the rocks into "caves," and across gaps to landings that require he immediately spring to the next rock because they are no landing at all. He likes to have one foot on each of two rocks and jump back and forth between them, inching higher with each jump.
The youngest is much more cautious because this is the first year she's been allowed to follow along. She stands on one rock for a moment, sizing up the gap to the next rock.
"Do you think I can make it Mom?" she asks.
"What do you think?" I say. "If you don't feel confident, don't do it."
"I think I can!"
"Ok, go for it then." I watch as she pushes off and lands with bent legs, leaning too far over so that she has to catch herself with her hands. "Perfect!"
"Are you proud of me mom?" she asks.
"I'm proud of you for thinking for yourself and making your own decision." I say. (I mean, after all, who wants a kid who thinks she has to take crazy risks to make you proud of her?!)
The middle one, like always, has moved off on her own. She doesn't need me to watch her in order to feel the joy of what she's doing. She's testing her bravery, her strength, her judgment, and it feels good. She doesn't need an audience to make the experience complete. I watch, of course, anyhow. I so enjoy the satisfied smile on her face as each decision plays out, and she knows that she's chosen well.
As I walk along, enjoying the moment, I'm glad they have this place, this time. Too much of their lives is scripted, prescribed and safe. I hope that the joy I get from watching them motivates me to let a little rock wall walking seep into their everyday lives.
Yesterday when I was out at the beach in Muskegon, I thought about those books. The pier (or breakwall, I don't actually know the correct term) in Muskegon has giant rocks all along it. When I say "giant," think "squared off hunks of rock that are the size of cars or, in some cases, vans." Because the rocks are squared off and have flat sides, it's pretty easy to walk along them. Pretty easy. The challenge comes in when there is a good sized gap between rocks. When that happens, you might have to jump. Sometimes the rocks are tipped with an edge facing up, making a terrible landing spot for the jump. When that happens, or if the gap is too large, you have to choose another path. Other dangers involving the water are also close at hand. Rocks that are constantly wet are slippery with mossy seaweed and are off limits.
I don't usually walk on the rocks. I stay up on the flat, dry, safe pier itself. It's my children, all three, ages 7-12, who walk on the rocks. That's actually the reason I stay up on the pier. I'd have to choose between watching where I was walking and watching where they were walking if I was on the rocks. Besides the fact that there is actual danger in what they are doing, I just simply enjoy watching them on the rocks.
The 12 year old is very confident; he's been doing this for years. He likes to pick the most challenging path he can find. He likes to go right out to the edge of the dry rocks, down underneath the rocks into "caves," and across gaps to landings that require he immediately spring to the next rock because they are no landing at all. He likes to have one foot on each of two rocks and jump back and forth between them, inching higher with each jump.
The youngest is much more cautious because this is the first year she's been allowed to follow along. She stands on one rock for a moment, sizing up the gap to the next rock.
"Do you think I can make it Mom?" she asks.
"What do you think?" I say. "If you don't feel confident, don't do it."
"I think I can!"
"Ok, go for it then." I watch as she pushes off and lands with bent legs, leaning too far over so that she has to catch herself with her hands. "Perfect!"
"Are you proud of me mom?" she asks.
"I'm proud of you for thinking for yourself and making your own decision." I say. (I mean, after all, who wants a kid who thinks she has to take crazy risks to make you proud of her?!)
The middle one, like always, has moved off on her own. She doesn't need me to watch her in order to feel the joy of what she's doing. She's testing her bravery, her strength, her judgment, and it feels good. She doesn't need an audience to make the experience complete. I watch, of course, anyhow. I so enjoy the satisfied smile on her face as each decision plays out, and she knows that she's chosen well.
As I walk along, enjoying the moment, I'm glad they have this place, this time. Too much of their lives is scripted, prescribed and safe. I hope that the joy I get from watching them motivates me to let a little rock wall walking seep into their everyday lives.
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