The Perception of Being Busy by Konnie Enos

For years I’ve complained that my family will not leave me alone to write. They are always coming to me and demanding my attention. It’s always something and it always gives me the impression that they don’t consider me working, or doing anything important if I’m sitting on my bed, doing something on my computer.

Then this last couple of weeks every time I tried to read my scriptures or otherwise study our Sunday school lessons, someone interrupted me, then someone else and someone else, until I was either so distracted I got up and did something else (usually at the behest of my distractions) or I no longer had time to read because I needed to be doing other things.

The worst part is, I never got back to it.

I’d get pulled away for other reasons and at the end of the day I’d realize I never finished what I was reading. This happened, not one, not twice, but repeatedly over the last couple of weeks. And it wasn’t just one family member. It was all of them, my husband included.

I had gotten into the habit of getting up at six because nobody else got up until seven and that was just my youngest daughter. She’d leave me alone. So I’d have until eight or even nine to read, study, whatever I needed in peace.

Yeah, not working anymore.

My husband started getting up at five and my youngest has decided his sleep time is during the day and bedtime is about nine or ten in the morning.

I try reading at different times but if even one family member is awake I will inevitably be interrupted for some reason or another.

I will say a few times it was a situation where I needed to drop what I was doing. However, far too many of them were simply one family member or another wanting my undivided attention for some reason which was crucial to them, but mundane to me. Clearly not more important to me than what I was already attempting to do before their interruption.

Needless to say, I’m behind on my scripture studies.

I’m also behind on doing the finances, finishing my edits, and shopping for and/or wrapping gifts (some of them are for Christmas but I like to be done before Thanksgiving). There are also calls I need to make which aren’t getting made because of too many interruptions.

Even getting one of those she sheds won’t work because where mom is so therefore is the family. They would seek me out for whatever reason they find important, to them.

What I find interesting in all of this is I can’t interrupt them. When they are on their tech they are too busy with whatever they want to do to give me any attention and they will get upset if I dare interrupt them.

And my husband is the worst offender! I can’t even ask him a simple question.

With all of this going on I got to thinking about how we perceive the activity of those around us.

Yeah, when my sons are playing video games or watching some show, they aren’t actually doing anything important, but they still don’t want interrupted. It’s important to them.

My family can tell when I’m doing finances because I have so much stuff spread around me while I’m doing it. They actually know not to bother me unless it’s vital while I’m balancing checkbooks. But when I’m on my app to read my scriptures they just see me holding my phone. When I’m writing, they just know I’m on my computer, which I also use to get on Facebook. They use theirs for lots of mundane things. So they don’t see me as actually busy.

Then again I don’t see my husband as actually busy when he’s on his computer because for so long all he’s ever done on his computer was surf. The fact he is now trying to do other things on his computer is a new phenomenon.

So maybe the problem isn’t they don’t see me as busy, but they know they are not busy when they’re on their tech.

So the problem is I’m always on my tech even when I’m just doing my Sudoku’s.

Since they can tell when I’m doing finances, and will leave me alone unless it’s urgent, perhaps what I need to do is find ways to signify I’m actually busy and don’t want to be disturbed at the moment.

Maybe I should be reading my Sunday school lesson with my scriptures and the lesson manual open in front of me. And maybe when I’m writing I should have notebooks, 3X5 cards and pens scattered around me.

Do you think that’ll give them a clue?

Smile. Make the day a brighter day.