A word must exist for those of us who take on more than we can sanely do. Busyoholic doersn’t seem to work. -Oholic really calls for a noun, not an adjective. Workoholic implies one is at an office all day, but I want a word that includes housewives and retirees and part-time workers and all sorts of folks who quit their jobs art quiting time but who are still working.

Projectoholic? Taskoholic? Why do people stay busy when they could lie on the grass and stare at stars or some such thing. Some people can never say no–like my step-mother. Oh, the things she does that she claims not to want to do. She sighs a lot and says, “Well, I really wanted to blah-blah-blah, but so-and-so called and now I have to blahty-blahty.” Apparently it’s poor form to say no, but okay to complain.

Some people think they don’t deserve to have fun–the I’m-enjoying-this-so-it-must-be-wrong camp. It’s like they’re terrified of pleasure and happiness.

Heather Sellers suggests in her book Page after Page that most people just like to say they are busy.

Not being busy. That is the greatest, most fearless act we can commit. That is a way of thanking, praising God for ensouling us. Being, and not distracting ourselves with the illusion of the power that is busy.

It feels so good to be busy–“I’m having a crazy day, I’m crazed, I’m so stressed, oh the schedule.” I will never again utter those words….”Are you swamped?” my colleague lilkes to ask me. I always force myself to say no. I am not swamped. Why would I get swamped? That is not my life.

There’s more, but you get the idea.

People are busy for loads of reasons. I try, I really do, when I’m at work, not to complain how busy I am (unless it is the expedient way to get of something I don’t want to do). Instead I say, “I’ve taken on too many projects” or “I don’t manage my time well.” Now, these statements probably aren’t much better, but I like to think I’m taking responsibility for my so-called busy-ness. I did say to one coworker, “Yeah, sure I’m busy, but that’s because I choose to do too many things.” There’s ego in that answer too, I suppose.

I think many of us stay busy (or delude ourselves that we are) because we don’t want to listen to the thoughts and ideas in our heads. If we sat still for a minute in silence we might remember things, might dwell on things, might have to actually try and change something instead of complain about it.

So, in the spirit of the unsatisfactories I used to get on my grade school report for uses time wisely, I’ve taken on NaBloPoMo as well as NaNoWriMo. It’s like a drill sargeant in my brain–do something you lazy bum! Well, what can I say? You should see all the projects my father tries do…of course, at this point I think if he stopped being busy, he’d get old. Right now he’s 72 and still says crazy things like, “I’m going to put a new roof on the house” and “I’m going to go build a new dock!”

Ah, perhaps staying busy keeps death at bay…well, I can’t think about it anymore. I’m too busy.