Intro: Pounding bass note and a stirring fanfare of horns. Welcome to another edition of Things to Think about. Here's Stacy. The horns continue with a keyboard note held.
Relaxing piano music is in the background.
Welcome to the Things to Think About podcast, where we use fables and fairy tales to come to deeper truths about our subconscious world. I'm Stacy Casson. And today's story explores chaos. My youngest called me out on the fact that I often overschedule myself. We will explore busyness in a tale I call, “Mind the Gap”. And now, get comfortable and relax. Take a deep breath in. And exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. And if you'd like, you can slowly close your eyes.
Once upon a time, there was a very fabulous poodle. It was known as a trendsetter amongst the other poodles and had a very distinctive sense of style. They were known for their distinctive collar collection and matching dyed ears and feet. It was exhausting keeping up with all its social obligations. It lived with a toy poodle who had a rebellious streak which also served as their live-in Jiminy Cricket. A few well-timed questions from the toy poodle often upended the fabulous poodle’s world, causing them to deeply reflect and grow. The poodle had a very short attention span, but was beloved and forgiven by all since when you were with them, you felt like the only dog in the world.
The poodle had awful sleep hygiene and was multitasking from sun up to sun down. Rarely did the poodle accomplish what it wanted to do, but it made everyone else’s life sunshine and lollipops. Being fabulous was a full-time job and the poodle often had its calendar booked for months in advance. Even the toy poodle needed to ensure it got on the schedule and it lived with the fabulous poodle. A typical day involved waking up before the crack of dawn. The poodle took five minutes to gather its thoughts and be thankful for another day. Then it was a whirlwind of exercise, grooming, making homemade dog treats for the toy poodle, and being a top dog influencer and content creator. The poodle tried to rest on the weekends but had a very busy social life as well.
As always, the poodle found itself overbooked. It had to reschedule a club meeting due to the fact that it had promised two other dogs to help to move in and then another dog finally responded to an invitation. It did set boundaries and told the other dog it had a drop-dead time. The toy poodle was usually its ever-present companion. The fabulous poodle, woke up early and sent off birthday cards and then decided to teach the toy poodle how to cook one of the treats. Empowering others would free up my time it thought to itself. They were off to an outdoor gallery showing. The sculptures were thought-provoking and it noticed a theme of fire hydrants. After a trip to the doggie café they were on their way and ahead of schedule! The poodle used the extra time to prepare for the club meeting and then “relaxed” by watching an episode of its favorite doggie soap opera. A nap sounded heavenly, but the poodle worried it would muss up its statement hair.
As they went to the next event for the day, the toy poodle commented that the poodle seemed to thrive on being busy. “No no, I had already promised to do the art showing and I did not anticipate that I would have to move the club meeting to this week, and due to a miscommunication, this event was back on my calendar. Besides your friends are here too and we haven’t seen them in ages. And, I am free tomorrow.” The toy poodle shot back, “and you already made plans. I don’t think you can survive without every second of your day being scheduled.” The fabulous poodle had no response. I am going to sleep in, it promised itself. Which it did. After a leisurely morning, the poodle caught up on some chores and then got ready for its outing. A friend was driving. Would they have a quiet day? What do you think?
Is your schedule booked within an inch of its life? Have you tried making an appointment for down time? What are you avoiding by keeping busy? And now you can take a deep breath in and exhale. A deep breath in and exhale. Deep breath in and exhale. And when you're ready, wiggle your toes. Wiggle your fingers and slowly open your eyes. If you're enjoying this podcast, please tell a friend.
Closing: Closing jazzy keyboard and thrumming bass. Hope you enjoyed today's segment. Tell a friend. See you next time. Music fades.
