Making It Through “Overcommitted”

March was one of those months. I was nothing but over-committed. I didn’t have a lot of spare time to add to my plate. S

till, the month is done and I feel good about it. I didn’t get over-stresed, though frankly that may have been part of the problem. I laughed at myself a few times because it was 11:00 p.m. And I hadn’t read the book I had committed to finish that day. I’d usually stay up until I did, which made for some very late nights.

I judged my first literary contest and my advice to you if you ever get the opportunity to do it, is say yes! My next piece of advice is don’t wait until the last month to read 15 books.

I totally enjoyed it, even if a few books weren’t my cup of tea. That’s the way it should be, I think – if you like everything the judging is a bit weak. I loved books I would have thought I’d hate if someone had read me a description. A good reminder to not judge all books by a blurb!

Last night went to something called the Tosco Music Party in Charlotte. All different kinds of musicians in one show. They all only do one or two songs apiece. We had a rapper sing with a strings ensemble backing him up, a couple of singing opera which did a bit of a sing-a-long at the end of their act “Sing anything you think sounds Italian” – hysterical), a mariachi band, a violin/rhythm combination that brought the house down, a 14-year old girl with amazing confidence – so many more and a bunch of sing-a-lings, too.

Before that we bummed around downtown Charlotte a bit for Charlotte Shout. Art everywhere and so many fun displays. I want to go back to play!

And then tonight I got to be part of a reader’s theater of the Cottonpatch Gospel. Have you heard of it? It was written in the 60s, and basically takes the story of Jesus to Georgia in the civil rights movement. It still holds up today.

It’s funny, but so thought provoking. Like instead of crucified on a cross, Jesus is lynched. The guy who was Jesus is black – and a dear gentle soul (and one heck of an actor), so it made it even more heart-wrenching to think about. But we should think about it in a way that makes us uncomfortable, shouldn’t we?

We had a racially mixed audience and discussion afterward was good and candid and important. I am proud to have had a small part in it all and glad to be part of a church that beings people together to discuss the hard stuff – and is OK if something is uncomfortable. Especially if it should be!

Another busy, but fun week ahead. I’m hoping the weather holds up Tuesday to go check out a couple of musician murals in our NC mountains. It’s nasty a lot of the week, but Tuesday’s looking good.

Anyway, when life gets overwhelming like it was for me in !arch, my advice is to relax and do something just for you from time to time. It usually all gets done and if it doesn’t, will you remember in give year’s.

Maybe I should rephrase that. Should it matter in five years?