Back to matters at hand......

 and, at the top of  MATTERS AT HAND IS......ME! (and you!)

Visiting our new neighborhood brewery this past Saturday---where they also serve great wines from a local winery.  If you are ever in the neighborhood....stop by Hitchhikers.....you won't be sorry.  Oh....and please stop by and pick me up on your way. We can walk there from my house!  In fact, we probably should walk......for the exercise....

As with the onset of each Fall semester for the past 35 I've spent in higher ed at a top-tier institution, I am back in the land of sleep, eat, work, repeat.  The days are long, the nights are short...which is nothing new.  What is new are the major changes in our operations and how we do what we do.  Twenty-some of my office mates have been relocated to an entirely new space on campus--leaving 4.5 of us to run a facility that now has almost tripled in size and capacity.  Unless you know what I do, that probably makes no sense to you at all.  Let's just say that it's been a pretty big change.  A change that impacts me squarely between the eyes.  Essentially----it means that up until this year, we could only host about 15-18 corporate visitors a day....which was more than enough work!   Now that the majority of the staff has vacated our facility, we have turned their offices into spaces for another 20+ corporate visitors---thus we can host over 30 a day.  And, they are certainly coming....

Although my team has always been the front line for those 15-18 corporate visitors each day, we were still able to rely on the other 20+ colleagues in the office to take on some of the hosting duties.  Now, it's just my team of 4 well-seasoned superstars to take on 30+ visitors a day (not to mention all the work it entails to get them here and make sure their visits are successful).  

As talented and knowledgeable and capable as we all are--it's no small feat.   

Yesterday was the first day of our regular season.  

Last week was our kick off to our regular season. 

And, let me tell you--last week  was a true test of our endurance--hosting a few hundred of our corporate partners, several thousand students and everything that goes with it....yeah, it was wild. .  

So, we came into this week--our regular season--a little tattered and torn from the over-activity of last week.  Translation---we are tired already. 

Now, I am not telling you any of this to impress you or to flaunt my I-am-busier-than-you flag.  

That's just not my style.   Because I know that we all have our own things....

Why I am telling you all of this is to remind you and ME that sometimes life gets busy and life gets hard.  And, that even when our intentions are grand,  it's understandable to feel so overwhelmed that our own personal health and well being takes a backseat to what's demanding our immediate attention.

It's a reality in today's world.  Like it or not.  
So, why do we beat ourselves up???

I stumbled upon all of this last night as I was sitting in the inevitable rush hour traffic after a day that pummeled me to the bone.   You see--all summer--as my world was on full-tilt--both personally and professionally--I would tell myself that as soon as all the madness of visitors coming and going at home was done with and the craziness of the happenings in the office were settled, my world would stop spinning so hard and I would be able to settle into a routine and I would not be eating on the run and eating all the wrong stuff and my exercise routine would be much better and......well, you know the drill. 

Even now, after the summer madness is gone, I can't fathom how this will happen....

Because I am feeling like there's more madness.....of a different variety!

And, this time, I don't have a Plan C.  At least I had a Plan B all summer. 

My Plan B is now.  

And, it ain't happening....

Last night as I was torturing myself, I sadly realized that defeat was starting to set in.  

Which, I might add--explains the chocolate candy I ate....... 

But, we aren't going to talk about that......are we?   

 What's a girl to do?

Well, for starters.....NO MORE GUILT.
(and, no more chocolate in the car....)

It is what it is.

And, I am who I am. 

I suggest you follow my lead......