i'm having a hard time prioritizing my life these days.

i have a demanding job [which i happen to like], relationships to invest in, places to volunteer, limited time to build my dream job on the side, and truthfully, it's easy to feel overwhelmed at times. not so much physically, as one good nap [followed by some sort of caffeine fix] tend to keep me going, but mentally and emotionally.

1) needs surround us, but we can't meet them all.

the lady i live with is lonely, some of my friends are going through tough times, and strangers, even though i have my headphones in, think i have an imaginary 'tell me your problems' sign on when i'm trying to recharge between meetings. people can be draining.

"in every encounter we either give life or we drain it; there is no neutral exchange" [brennan manning]

2) be a life-giver.

this isn't to say that you can't have a bad day, process things you're going through with a friend or two, or feel depressed when you have every reason to, but for the most part you [we] have the power to breathe life into others, and have them walk away from us feeling uplifted and loved.

2) get around life-givers.

surround yourself with people who encourage you, make you laugh, and add value to your life, but don't avoid the ones who don't, for the latter are the ones who help you build character ;)

3) take care of YOU.

on every airplane i've been on [minus the one i most recently jumped out of], the lovely flight attendant cautioned us to 'put our own oxygen mask on' before assisting others [with the exception of whoever was sitting beside me obvie].

all kidding aside, i think they're onto something; truth be told, you can't help others if you're not helping yourself, nor can you take care of others if you're not taking care of ... you.