Is it too late to join Rocktoberfest?

The Modern Gal, one of my favorite blog-ladies, started Rocktoberfest as a way for us to put a spring in our step even though spring was a very long time ago.

I love fall so much. It's my favorite time of year. But I really feel like this year my time has been spent more on taking care of business and less on taking care of me. I have this uncanny ability to stack my days against myself. And lately, my head has been spinning.

As someone who spends a lot of time writing about imaginary people, I think it's important to do things to stay grounded. I have an amazing therapist, who I see on and off when I feel like I need to discuss something. A neutral person to bounce ideas off of is a priceless thing.

The last time I saw him, I was chattering on a mile a minute about all the things I had to do and that my to do list for that day already had 17 items on it. "And the tomatoes!" I said. "Don't get me started on the tomatoes! The cherry tomato plants I planted in the garden have exploded and there are tomatoes everywhere and I don't know what to do with them, and it's stressing me out."

"Interesting," he said, smiling, "I've never had anyone come to me with a tomato problem before."

This cracked me up and knocked me down a peg and put things in perspective and made me realize that I need to prioritize things differently.

That was a few weeks ago, and have I gotten my priorities straight? Well, a little bit. But not nearly enough.

So I only have one Rocktoberfest Pledge.

1. I am going to take twenty minutes of non-computer time for me every day. It's not about the dog, or my work, or the tomatoes, or my husband, or my friends. It's not about checking e-mail, or answering phone calls, or making dinner, or doing laundry, or any sort of multi-tasking activity. I am going to take twenty minutes to sit outside by myself and watch the leaves fall, or go for a walk alone, or drink a pumpkin-y beverage, as The MG suggests. By me, for me, and about me. 20 minutes. Because, I think that those twenty minutes will give me time to catch my breath, and if I don't feel like I'm constantly gasping for air, I'll be able to remind myself that it's silly to stress out about tomatoes.