Cockroaches

Jeff said recently that I am
         “relaxed-deficient.”

I wasn’t sure
     whether I should laugh
                         or agree;
          I think I did both – along with a crooked face
                                                        of frustration,
                                                             because I don’t know
                                                                what to do about it.

I may not be a super Achiever*
     but I still always have a list going
          of a billion things I have to do,
                    and I have this fear
                              that I will never actually
                                                    accomplish
                                                    anything
                                               because that list
                                                     of
                                                     insanity
                                                  is always
                                   l       o       n       g       e       r
                                                     than I can manage.

It seems like
     other people are able to
               check things
                   off their list
                   and it gets
                   smaller.
     Sure, they add things
          here and there,
               but they actually make
                              progress.

My list just
     increases.
I check things off,
          but I just can’t seem to handle what’s already there.
I get overwhelmed
     and try to tackle it,
          but I can’t find the hours in the day
                    to do it all,
                         or at least
                               enough of it to make a difference.
               My energy betrays me
                       and so does the caffeine.

Options seem to actively                run                     away
               from my presence,
                         like cockroaches
                                    when they see light.

I can’t turn the list off
          or the need for the list
          or make actual progress.
     So how, exactly,
                    am I supposed to relax?

 

*Your Unique Design: Originally Developed by Taibi Kahler; Adapted by Dr. Bob Maris and Dr. Jerry Richardson. Achiever: logical, organized, responsible.