I have a friend who was interested in visiting an organization I belong to that meets once a month. I told her I would send her a reminder when it was time to register for the next meeting. When I did, she said she was still interested, but wasn’t able to make that meeting because she was totally booked with clients that day.

“I have been wonderfully crazy busy,” she said.

The thought that has been with me ever since is, “What a great way to be!”

Most of us, I’m sure, can relate to the busy part. Our lives are filled to the brim and beyond with all the things we want, need, or try to do every day.

The crazy part is pretty familiar, too, although everyone would probably describe that differently. For me, “crazy busy” usually means a day packed with different types of projects and activities.  A good example is a day not long ago that started with an early-morning faith-based meeting, followed by a meeting for which I am the facilitator, and then a 20-minute radio interview. After lunch I met with a coaching client, then with a business partner about an upcoming workshop we were presenting. After dinner, I had one more meeting before I could call it a night.

That’s not exactly a typical day for me, but it’s not a rare event, either. It’s just crazy busy.

But then there’s that “wonderful” part my friend was describing. Being wonderfully crazy busy would mean being busy doing work we love. Work that energizes us rather than exhausting us, that fulfills us rather than draining us, and that nurtures our spirit rather than stealing our soul. And, of course, that pays the bills.

If I ever sat down and compared my calendar with how I felt at the end of any given day, I’m sure I’d find that my energy level, as well as my sense of accomplishment, would be less related to how many hours I put in or how much I actually achieved than it would to how wonderfully busy I had been – with or without the crazy part.

So – how do we put more “wonderful” into our crazy, busy lives?

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of looking at things differently. On that recent crazy busy day of mine, I can look back and see that each of the day’s activities and events related to areas of my life and work that are most important to me. Even though some parts of them were challenging, tedious, tiring or uncomfortable, they all contributed to goals and dreams I have for myself. And that makes them pretty wonderful.

I’ll check in again soon with my friend to see if she’s able to make it to the next meeting of the organization we talked about. I hope so. I know she would enjoy and benefit from it, just as I know that the other members – myself included – would enjoy and benefit from having her there.

Still, there are only so many hours in a day. Each of us determines for ourselves how wonderfully crazy busy we’re going to be.

The column “Find Your Buried Treasure” appears weekly in the Chanhassen (MN) Villager. This column was published on November 12, 2015.
©Betty Liedtke, 2015

What would you describe as a “wonderfully crazy busy” day for yourself? I’d love to hear about it! Please be aware that all comments will be moderated and approved before appearing on this blog, in order to protect all of us from unwanted spam.