I consider it a blessing and a curse to love busyness. I know, I know, there are countless articles around the web (and in actual books) that tell me I should not love busyness. They say I should slow down and enjoy where I am and what I’m doing and to not feel the need to fill my time.

But I don’t know, I really, really enjoy taking advantage of every single thing the world has to offer! I love moving around, discovering new places, doing new things, and planning the future.

Sometimes, I will admit, it does get exhausting. However, when I look back on all of the experiences I’ve managed to have in just 29 short years, I would say it’s definitely been worth it.

That’s not to say that I don’t enjoy a relaxing day – I do – but having a few of these ‘boring’ days in a row really zaps my energy.

Take last week for example:

// We celebrated Mothers Day in DC on Sunday with a few of my closest friends. We went to a coffee shop and then walked through a farmers market and then we went to a playground and then we flew home, all before dinnertime. About an hour after we got home, one of my college roommates showed up! She was visiting from Las Vegas for a work conference and stayed with us for a night. Sunday night was filled with great conversations with her.

// Then on Monday I spent more time catching up with my college roommate (who didn’t need to be at her conference until later in the evening) and then going to physical therapy. That night I caught up with another best friend on the phone.

// Tuesday was a day of catching up with blogging/emails/reading/house stuff, and eating dinner with my college roommate and another roommate at Eataly.

// On Wednesday I went to my moms’ church group in the morning (I brought snacks!) and then went to another physical therapy session in the afternoon, and then a photography class at night.

// On Thursday Tim had a work event, so Clara and I had some great time together during the day and went to a friend’s house for a playdate. (I love watching her interact with her little friends! They’re so interested in each other now!) On Thursday afternoon I met up with a photography classmate and worked on a project together. Then, I sped off to photography lab that evening.

// On Friday I went to yoga in the morning and then we went on a family lunch date (to Big & Littles) and then Tim went to work while Clara and I hung out at home for a few hours. Then, I rode my bike to a girls night a few miles away from our house.

// On Saturday we woke up early to drive to St Louis, where we spent the rest of the day at a neighborhood road race, cheering on my best friend and her family.

So, it was a busy seven days, to say the least. In between all of these activities, was breastfeeding, spending time with Clara and trying to convince her she wanted to take naps, writing the occasional blog post, reading ‘real’ books, cleaning the house, etc!

And here’s the thing, even though by Thursday I was asking Tim, ‘why do I do this to myself?!’ I really, really loved this past week. I learned new things, I worked out, I improved myself, I spoke to lots of great people and saw more best friends in one week than I have since my wedding, I spent time with my family, I traveled, I ate at new restaurants and enjoyed good food, I spent lots of time with lady friends and even had a few hours to myself. Honestly, I would spend every week like this if I could – packing in activities to every nook and cranny of every day.

Yes, it’s exhausting – completely – and I do think I need a day or two to recharge once we get back from St Louis – but I love it. I think I thrive on the adrenaline that accompanies busyness.

Am I busier than most people? I have no clue. I think everyone fills their schedules and we all probably feel equally busy and drained at the end of the week. I don’t even work outside of the home anymore and I feel like I struggle to fit everything I want to do in to my calendar! But I do think I enjoy activity more than most people.

It’s always my goal to slow down. To do less. To be content in the moment. To streamline and prioritize and stop planning quite so much. But honestly, when I live life like this, I’m pretty unhappy. 

So maybe busyness isn’t always  bad – maybe it’s what makes life fun for some people. Or maybe I’m consistently chasing too many moving parts and will eventually become worn out. I guess we’ll see!

Tell me, do you thrive off busyness, or does it drain you?