this morning, i said no.
choir has been nuts lately. we're singing great music, but suddenly one of the songs we're singing (an opera) has turned into a huge stage production. i'm only worried because i'm on the board of directors and had no idea this was happening. also, it's costing tons o' money.
ok, fine. if the board is ok with spending lots of money on what is sure to be a great concert, fine with me. that's great. however, i volunteered to be part of the stage chorus. all we have to do is memorize the song and be part of the scenery. oh. and wear costumes. very specific costumes. that we're supposed to try to come up with on our own. oh. and we're expected to be at three additional rehearsals, bringing the number of choir commitments in 8 days up to SIX. plus, it's just been very disorganized. rehearsals randomly dismissing early so the opera can be practiced (although no one officially tells us this, we just figure it out after having a break and seeing other people pack up music and head home).
well, last night, i was feeling overly overwhelmed. this is the way i emote: i don't realize anything's been bothering me until one thing tips the scale, and suddenly i have a list of 15 things that are stressing me out. i actually sat down last night, in tears, and wrote down everything that was bothering me. 14 out of the 15 things i couldn't really control.
the one i could control? being part of the stage chorus. so this morning i emailed our volunteer stage director and put in my resignation.
i'm looking forward to the concert so much more now. and december in general. i'm determined that the christmas season will only be as busy as i allow it to be. it feels good to have those three evenings back. maybe some people out there love bopping from party to party and commitment to commitment, but the thought of it makes me shudder.
so tonight, in celebration, a glass of wine. and some this old house with my kind husband and tubby kitty.
good work, andrea! so important to say no sometimes. I react to stress very similarly, so your story definitely struck a chord. I'm going to keep this post in mind the next time I'm feeling overly overwhelmed :)
ReplyDeleteYay for saying no! That sounds like a pretty outrageous list of demands to be put on you. We're having a stress-free glass-o-wine night tonight, too! :) Can't wait to see you guys for Christmas!
ReplyDeleteOh, and we'll have some wine for you guys, too. :)
ReplyDeleteNice work. I hate saying that word too but you're right, it's important - a lady from church said "stress is what happens when you know you should have said no but you say yes." I like your explanation of recognizing stress too - haha so true!
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