I don’t know about you, but I’ve been feeling like I go through life on fast-forward.

I’m either getting up and rushing to get ready for work and school, getting there and rushing through my day, or putting out fires, talking daily drama, or running around like a chicken with its head cut off. (I hate non-vegan analogies, but you get it).

At work, we all are saying, is it Friday yet? Or “Yes! It’s hump day!” Just waiting to get the weekend so we have two quick days to rest and recuperate to do it all over again.

My days after work fly by with kids’ activities, a quick dinner, snacks, and then it’s a race to bedtime to do it all over again. Throw in pets and housekeeping and it’s a total whirlwind.

What is this life we are living?

Some of us had a reprieve with Covid. We were able to, first of all, stop abruptly. Then have some time to regroup. This was not the case for frontline workers who were thrown deeper into the mix, risking their lives and increasing stress levels.

A friend reminded me recently of the airplane oxygen mask analogy: how we must put on our own oxygen mask before assisting others with theirs. It hit me hard when she said it, and I gasped a little for air.

I need to put on my own oxygen mask.

I feel guilty when I’m not doing enough for my kids. I take out a hard day on my husband. I do my best at work and literally take on the emotions of every other human I am in contact with on a daily basis.

My weekends are filled with kids’ sports, chores, and groceries. My life has become mundane.

I hate that I am speaking from a place of privilege here. I have a job and a home. A husband and children that I love. I am able to afford groceries and pay my bills (which has not always been the case.) This job enables me to do all of these things. I have gratitude and appreciation for our livelihoods, but it’s not to say I don’t fantasize sometimes about having more time.

If I’m lucky, I am halfway through my life.

When I am on my death bed, what will I wish I had done more of? Barked orders at my family? Gossiped behind others’ backs? Tried to play the big shot at work?

How do we find moments of joy in the mundane day-to-day of our existence so that we are not just living our lives looking forward to the next trip we take or break from work?

I make time to connect to source; I exercise; I eat right. I find joy in taking care of my body mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I enjoy connecting with friends and getting outdoors, but to me right now, it feels like I am literally just squeezing everything in. I am not getting those full breaths that my oxygen mask wants to give me.

So when we are running through our days, half-cocked, while this global pandemic is still prevalent, let us remember this is our one wild and precious life. Let’s remember to stop and smell the roses and chase those sunsets.

Let’s remember to embrace tiny moments with our families and peers and not forget our own oxygen mask before assisting others.

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