First things First: Prioritize.

(Wait, is that a joke?) There is so much that I want to share on this blog, but it wouldn’t make sense to share it all at once, and I find myself challenged with determining what entry I should post next. Right now I’m in a spot where I have so many ideas and various tasks to complete with this Glass Half Full venture, that I’m in a spinning pattern and I’m holding myself up. When things get exciting and the wheels start turning, or if it becomes too overwhelming…I often need to ask myself: What is most important? Also, remember that Progress over Perfection mantra I previously wrote about? Well, I have realized that sometimes (like in this situation), I need to prioritize to be productive.

Whenever I have an overwhelming list of tasks to complete, I hear this voice in my head very clearly saying, “PRI-OR-I-TIZE” with that exact syllable emphasis. (I’ll do an in-person impression for you one day.) So, let me take you back to a not-so-distant moment in time to explain where this particular voice came from.

A Voice of Reason

Shortly after my second daughter was born, we discovered that she was the type of infant that doctors would describe as a “happy spitter”. She was a record-fast eater and would often spit up amounts that looked like an equivalent amount to everything that she took in. She wouldn’t cry or fuss or even flinch prior to the spit up, so it was quite nerve-wracking and sometimes comical when it would suddenly occur. At times, it was even Houdini-like when the spit up would magically wind up in places that were seemingly impossible to understand. And by the way, this phase lasted until she was almost one year old. Anyhow, there is one particular moment that stands out in my mind during this amazing newborn stage. It just so happens that my in-laws were in town visiting us at the time. My father-in-law was in the same room as me watching TV, but the other family members were elsewhere. Shortly after feeding the baby, I sensed that she may have had a diaper blowout, but I wasn’t yet certain. As I laid the baby down to check out the situation, I noticed that my instincts were correct, and the mess had spread onto her sleeper. It was going to be tricky to change her while trying not to make the situation messier than it already was. While the diaper was open, the baby then peed and it quickly spilled onto everything…making a bigger mess. And then, almost simultaneously, the baby spit up what seemed to be equivalent to the entire bottle that I had just fed her. I had no idea what to clean up first. In the position of where my father-in-law was and where the diaper changing station was, he actually couldn’t see what was happening. If it wasn’t for the smell and my verbal reaction, he probably wouldn’t have noticed.

“Poooooooop,” I said. “Dad, the baby just pooped, peed and ‘puked’ all at the same time, and I don’t even know what to clean up first.”

Without turning around to see the damage for himself, he didn’t flinch and just calmly said, “PRI-OR-I-TIZE.” And then he repeated it. And that’s what I did. Given the situation, it was comical and yet serious advice to follow.

As I mentioned, this was my second child. This type of messy situation was not unfamiliar to me and yet, it still caught me off guard. I become easily unraveled dealing with bodily fluids. It’s not “just baby poop” to me. (Oh stop judging…everyone has their own silly sh–, I mean stuff, that bothers them.) I can’t even remember what I started wiping up first, and it doesn’t matter, but just taking a moment to remember to “prioritize” (assess the situation calmly and focus on one thing before moving on to the next) was what I needed.

Taking a Moment to Assess

When you’re in the thick of things, it may be difficult to stop and take a step back to look at the situation objectively. For example, did you make any resolutions earlier this year? (You know those things don’t HAVE to start on Jan. 1, right?) Well, anyway, if you did set resolutions and haven’t seen them through…have you been able to determine what happened or why? Did you not make it a priority? Or, did you have too many other priorities, and it just became overwhelming? Give yourself the time to think about the things that are most important to you and start from there. If you can truly determine one thing that is most important, and work toward accomplishing that, you are more likely to succeed instead of trying to “do it all” and to “do it all at once”. As always, easier said than done. Doing this may take practice and a lot of reminders. That’s the story of my life…and therefore, my blog. Take that moment to prioritize, and know that you can do it. You will get through it. Try to see that Glass Half Full.

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