A few weeks ago I was tasked with presenting information in a virtual staff meeting. When my supervisor asked me about it I groaned. The meeting is held on a Wednesday morning, which means I would be working from home. This means there is a very high likelihood something embarrassing will happen when it is my turn to present. I did my best to prepare, had the paper with what I wanted to say in front of me. I warned the children that I would be in my meeting and they could not disturb me or make noise. I asked them to quiet the dogs if they started to bark. I held my breath, unmuted my microphone and started my video. As I began presenting, Love Bug sidled up to me and climbed into my lap, tapping my cheek and trying to get my attention. I hugged him, held his hand and continued without breaking my stride. Not to be out-done, the cat, who is not allowed on the table, sashayed across my laptop in front of the video several times while my full focus and attention were on presenting the information professionally. Love Bug began humming and tried to pry the headphone from my ear. I snuggled him closer, pressed the headphone tighter into my ear and finished my presentation without missing a beat. I was pretending that none of those things were happening. Pay no mind to the man behind the curtain! But, the site administrator called attention to the chaos and applauded my ability to multi-task. I was just grateful everyone remained quiet during my presentation. This isn’t the first time I have had to summon my ability to simultaneously handle something happening in front of me while continuing to engage professionally. This is working from home as a single parent. It is our new normal for as long as virtual meetings are occurring. I’ve done my best to make peace with it. I try not to get frustrated with my kids when they interrupt, but sometimes it makes me batty trying to continually split my attention. What is even more worrisome to me is my inability to do just one thing at a time. I have been trying to meditate in the mornings but I find myself unable to *just* meditate, not meditate and eat my breakfast or meditate and get my laptop booted up for the day or meditate and check the kids school schedule. I don’t sit and watch a show, I am reading or on my cell phone at the same time. I am folding laundry and watching a video and talking to one of my kids. Part of it is my need to be productive because when I slack off the work just piles up. Some of it is because I am a single parent and I have to be able to handle multiple tasks simultaneously. But, a lot of it is the societal need to be busy and that even extended into quarantine during a global pandemic. I am thankful I was able to maintain my focus during the virtual staff meeting, but I am hoping to break my multi-tasking habits for a mentally healthier me.
Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.
No comments:
Post a Comment