Burning the Candle at Both Ends

For the past five or six days I've been working hard. Really hard. We had been trying to find a house in Transcona (an area of Winnipeg) in a certain neighborhood for a couple who's house burnt down and there aren't a lot of homes on the market (also, it means seeing properties and working out the financing with the bank as well). We were also trying to get our rental property ready for new tenants which meant repainting, fixing, and redoing some flooring. In the meantime I've also been seeing old and new clients (I now have 9 of them) for my practicum, work at Olive Garden, and occasionally see my family. I've been burning the candle at both ends.

Sadly, we were not able to find a property for these people so that means that particular weight is off our shoulders (it's too bad though, it would have been win-win for both our families). And I should finish off my work at the rental today. And I'm going down to one day a week at Olive Garden. So yes, balance is being restored.

So what was the cost of the past few days? Well, I've been existing on 4 hours of sleep a night, I've lost 10 pounds, almost every muscle in my body hurts, I'm a bit cranky, and I owe my family (especially my kids) a lot of time together. What was gained? Well, we have new renters for a year in an upgraded house so that means a modest monthly income from that and another $10,000ish (conservatively) in equity raised on the property by this time next year. And even though we didn't get a new property we are all set to get one if another opportunity presents itself. Jobina (master painter) and I got to spend some time together working on the rental which was kind of fun (thanks Mom for babysitting yesterday, you are awesome!).

Now I look forward to getting back into my schoolwork and reconnecting with my family and friends. So was it worth it? I think so. When it comes to burning the candle at both ends, I think it can be done, but only for a short time and only if there is great reward. I know some people who seem to live in this state all the time - I don't think I could do that! The question I think about is: how do you know if your life is too busy? Burnout is always a possibility and yet people get trapped in their thinking ("I have to do all this stuff!"). May we all have the wisdom to know what we can handle - and what we can't.

May Light increase!