When do we stand up and say enough is enough? Perhaps I should back up and give you a little background as to why I’m on the ledge…

I work full time, mostly from home, and the hours are demanding. It is rare for me to work less than 60 hours per week. No joke. On top of that, it’s tax season, so I’m doing taxes for friends and family (I was a tax accountant in a former life). But wait, there’s more. My 17-year-old son is doing Close-Up this year, where they send the kids to DC for a week. The kids and their parents have to work concessions at all the high school games in order to earn money for the trip, so I’m doing that, too. I’m also contracted to write about a frillion (that’s totally a word) books this year. Oh, yes, and let’s not forget that I’m a mom with 2 teenagers! I should add that I have an elderly, ailing mother living next door who needs me.

I’m stressed beyond stressed right now. I love everything I do, but I just don’t love it when it all comes down on me like this.

What do you do when you are ready to call it quits? When you are on the ledge, who is that person who talks you down? Is it yourself? Your husband? Who?

I have a husband who is equally as stressed. He’s a firefighter (just promoted to captain!) and is outfitting a honkin huge truck for wildfire response and protection. Because we’ve had such a pathetic snow pack this year, we are expecting a record fire season in Montana. He has until March 1st to get everything done on the truck, so he is scrambling to finish.

Last night was my breaking point, my friends. After working from 7am – 5pm without a break, I raced down to the school to work Close-Up until 9pm. I stopped by the pub to say hi to my sister, who works there, and she informed me that my hubby had been down there pretty much all day. I walked over to him, but he was in such a heated conversation with someone he didn’t even see me. All our friends saw me, but he didn’t. I sat there and watched some of the Olympics, but after a while, I just turned and left. I don’t know what time he got in last night, only that when I woke up this morning, he was on the couch. I’m still livid about the whole thing. I’m working until I collapse from exhaustion, and he goes to the pub to hang with his friends. I’m seeing an unequal balance here.

Why am I telling you all this? Because I need your help. What do you do when you feel like you are the only one doing everything? When you’ve reached your breaking point, what do you do? Do you break? Do you take a step back? Do you go get a pedicure? What? I’d like to know so I can step back from the ledge.

Thanks for letting me vent.

~Allie K. Adams / Eve Adams
www.alliekadams.com
alliekadams@blackfoot.net