What to do?

Have you ever had so much going on in your life, so much to worry about, so much to do that you literally, physically can't do anything?

Of course you have.

As a mom, a working human, a household runner (aka wife), a journalist, an editor, a coach, a teacher, or anything else -- we've all found ourselves overwhelmed with the vast array of tasks, or of choices, before us. So we sit, and scroll on our phones and stare out the window while we contemplate our next move.

I've just learned that there is a real, official name for it: analysis paralysis. "It's when the fear of making a wrong choice or the desire for a perfect solution outweighs the value of acting. Caught in an endless loop of researching, weighing pros and cons, and overthinking, your brain gets overwhelmed, leaving you unable to make any decision at all."

Sound familiar? 

Well, I hate to be the one to tell y'all, but it happens when you're retired too. Life without an agenda is hard. Every day we are faced with the daunting questions: What am I supposed to do? What do I need to do? What do I want to do? What can I do?

It can be exhausting! 

Most days my choices include working out, cleaning the pool, getting in the pool, playing the piano, writing, digging up dead relatives, and dinner. Some days I'll clean a room or just a corner of a room. I also like to putter in my upstairs office where I keep most of my memorabilia, but sometimes it's just too hot up there.

And that's about it. Not too difficult, really.

But, one day, my husband, the Coach, went off to do baseball things with one of his buddies and left me the car for a change. Normally, he goes off to do Uber things, leaving me at home, stranded.

But on this day, I had a car. I had things to do. I had options!

But I have a pool that needs cleaning and has been a breeding ground for mustard algae. 

And I have a piano that has been calling my name recently. Since I've retired and the Coach started Ubering, I've gotten a lot more practice. I'm a lot better than I used to be (even though my eyes aren't).

And I have a Dollar General down the street that has some products I need and some I don't.

But when I have a car, so I can go past the borders of my little town, like to Destrehan or LaPlace or even Metairie!

So, I considered my agenda:

Do I shower and dress, then go shopping, then go in the pool?

Do I go in the pool, then shower, then go shopping, then play the piano?

I also have a nice, soft, comfortable bed and a cute little poodle who loves to snuggle.

So, that day,  I spent roughly three hours in that bed trying to decide in what order I was going to do things.

Would you be suprised to learn that I did none of them? I moved from the bed to the sofa and doom scrolled all day. Before I could move to the piano, The Coach came home. I don't like to play when he's home because I get all nervous and make mistakes (and I'm sure there's a name for that too). And before I could put my suit on and grab my little basket of pool necessities (Bluetooth speaker, sunglasses, sunflower seeds), it clouded up and looked like rain.

I did eventually take a shower, but it was too much trouble to put on two eyebrows that kind of look alike, so I just put my pajamas on and gave up.

And that was my day.

And this is retirement...

P.S. This post has been sitting in my drafts folder since June...