#1177 – Should

Yesterday was Labor Day. Labor Day is a great holiday to celebrate the end of summer and the beginning of fall. Even though most of our students have been in school for a month and it will still be 90 degrees until the end of October, Labor Day is still a good day.

I enjoyed Labor Day. I didn’t actually do much; in fact I only ever left our apartment to get a few things at Target for dinner. I finished reading The Dark Tower, watched the Cubs beat the Cardinals, took a nap and went to the gym. It was a very relaxing way to spend a holiday.

As relaxing as it was, though, I still couldn’t relax as much as I would have liked.

I’m at this point in my life where I feel like there is always something I should be doing. I feel like my life is nothing but a series of shoulds and, even when I knock one off of my list, there’s always another to take its place.

I should fold my laundry.

I should pack some boxes for our upcoming move.

I should clean the kitchen.

I should write and schedule some posts for The Christian Nerd.

I should work on the curriculum I’m writing for our youth ministry.

I should go to the gym again.

There are so many shoulds filling my life at any given moment that it’s difficult to truly relax. Even when I was sitting down and finishing The Dark Tower, I thought that I should have been reading on the elliptical. When I was watching the Cubs demolish the Cardinals, I thought that I should have been packing boxes. When I laid down to take a nap, I managed to push through any other shoulds and wake up with drool on the pillow.

I know that life as an adult is going to include more shoulds, that’s just how things are. However, I don’t like feeling like there’s always something I should be doing. I might need to get better at managing my time throughout the day. I also might need to get better at placing my trust in God, believing that even if I don’t do everything I should, God is still in control.

What helps you from feeling overwhelmed by all the shoulds in your life?