Too Much Temporarily

When you’re the deep water of too much work, too many responsibilities, too little time to breathe, it’s easy to feel like it’ll be that way forever.

I have been trying to remind myself daily – hourly! – that it’s too much, but only temporarily.

In my conversations with Alice Parker, I remember her reflecting on the busy years – when her children were teenagers, work was at its peak, and there was an unrelenting flurry of activity. She looked back on the time fondly, even as she recalled the intensity and struggle of it.

Music, especially, demands everything you’re willing to give. So does parenting. So does teaching. In the midst of it, it can feel overwhelming.

But it’s temporary. I remind myself that someday I’ll be looking back on these days and have a different pace to my life.