When I say we’re busy, it usually means we spent the day at the Science Center, then a birthday party, then a park day the next day, etc. Our business is usually fun stuff, family stuff. But when many people say they’re busy, it often means that they’re running around crazy, doing errands (many of them pointless), cleaning their house spick-and-span, and generally getting themselves so worked up that they need a Tums. Or worse.
I wish I could plead for everyone to lead a less hectic lifestyle in America. When I was younger, I lived a pretty hectic lifestyle, too. I cooked and cleaned for my family, I took care of two siblings, I took all advanced placement courses, led several student organizations, and worked full-time as at a “part-time” job. (You’ll find that fast food places often work teens full-time hours.) I also played two sports. I rarely slept and continued this habit into college, where I worked two jobs, and into adulthood, when I worked full-time, went to school full-time, and cared for a newborn premature baby with special needs. In short, I burned out bad—both emotionally and physically, landing myself in the hospital with plenty of actual physical ailments.
