All of it. The three offices, the three jobs, the three conferences, the evening events, the house cleaning, the yard work, the yoga classes, the dog walks, the journal reading, the essay writing, the step work, the college tours, the finances. And all of it some more.

Three weeks into the semester. Power of three. Me, Jake, and Maggie. Bubba, Henry, Charlie. Three, three, three. The rule of three; the power of three. Funnier, more memorable, simple. Holy.

But I couldn’t do it all this week…I collapsed on the couch Thursday afternoon and couldn’t rally until Saturday. I kept working, reading, emailing but couldn’t get to school or the CCEL retreat or the luncheon with the National Advisory Council. Too ill. Too tired. Too much.

Weakening. Doubt. Failure. I must do it all, I must do it perfectly. My negative self-talk creeps in whenever I feel weak. Then I doubt my abilities and qualifications. And then I feel like a failure. I’m such a fragile being. Tipping on the rim between high functioning adult and lump of quivering goo.

Wise people say that when you feel overwhelmed you should take more time–not less–to meditate, to sleep, to care for yourself. Yeah…