Things Fall Apart

I can’t recall much about the book, Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, other than I read it in High School and the title often comes to me when things start going south. Yesterday I was wondering why I seem to repeat the cycle of things falling apart in my life. I don’t mean the stuff we can’t control. I mean the stuff that I let slip through the cracks because my focus is elsewhere.

The funny thing is that this happens on the personal side, not so much on the business side. Why? Because the business is often my highest priority. As a start-up, I find it’s harder to get the resources you need to get the job done. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe when I have all the resources at my fingertips it will still be hard, or maybe even harder than it is now.

One of the most challenging things about being a single mom and entrepreneur is all the stuff that has to get done. I realize that once I am out of organizational control I can forget about managing all the little pieces. It’s not worth kicking myself. The deed is already done. The best I can hope for is that in another few months I am NOT pondering how I let something slip through the cracks.

I used to laugh at my mom’s rigid nature when it came to housework. She couldn’t go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink, or without putting out the trash at night. She also still gets all of her clothes ready for the week on Sunday – she picks out her outfits, irons them and lays them out neatly so they are ready to go each morning. It seemed funny at the time, but I bet her stuff doesn’t fall through the cracks.

I get that the key is to manage my “stuff” regardless of the fires that are flaring up personally and professionally. It’s a skill I would be wise to develop. When I get to that point I will acquisition the title of Zen Master of Stuff! Trouble is, I’ve got another 60 years or so before I qualify to have any title including the words “Zen Master ” so I’d better get cracking.