The Seduction of Overwork

Is Overwork stealing your time with his silver-tongued seduction of why you matter

… insinuating his way into every corner of your life with his constant attention and larger-than-life PRESENCE

that feels familiar

Though somehow incredibly wrong. 

Gritty with one glass too many.

Maybe you’ve forgotten what life is like without his warm breath in your ear-

…whispering that you MUST finish this email before you make dinner…

…demanding that getting done on schedule will make or break the year…

…promising that just one more hour won’t make a difference because you’re not going to sleep anyway.

Like a seductive lover, Overwork makes you feel SO NEEDED, SO SPECIAL and SO WILDLY PART OF IT ALL.

Until he doesn’t

Make you feel that way…

Any more.

You wake up in someone else’s life- in the familiar surroundings of your own bed. 

Heart in your mouth-

A bit panicked that you’ve strayed this far from your own heart

But mostly grateful that you still recognize where you are.

Mostly

A bit shocked at your own behavior.

So far from what you imagined life would be.  So far from that engaged and present lover of your own LIFE that you’d planned.

So you wash your face- removing every trace of last night’s email frenzy,

Pick up your clothes from the floor and

the coffee cups and trail mix on your desk.

You wander downstairs

Kiss your husband like you mean it (because you REALLY, REALLY do)

And make pancakes.

And DECIDE

To kick Overwork to the curb.

He was never that interesting anyway. 

A little too self-important and

WAY too selfish.

so you pick up the magic markers and the finger paints

… maybe some glitter for good measure

And walk out into the sunshine.

Shiny.

Alive.

Feeling like yourself again.