Sometimes the pack-saddle shifts, the camel stumbles, and it’s time to re-pack the load. In my case it was myself as a metaphorical camel (no animals harmed. No crazy ladies, either). But the load was increasingly real.

Confident predictions doomed

This week on The Weird Blog I was supposed to tell you about the availability of Deep Ellum Pawn in print. Sadly, I can’t. Because it isn’t (yet). I can still promise that it will be, but I’ve endured enough technical glitches in the past week to restrain any confident predictions of exactly when.

This week on my Artdog Adventures blog, I was planning to plunge into the world of video production. Not unlike my friend Lynette Burrows (scroll down on her post), that didn’t exactly go as planned, either. It probably still will happen, but I’ve also endured enough technical glitches in this realm to back cautiously away from smiling assertions.

I’ve encountered a lot of detours this week.

An accumulation of odd jobs

Have you ever been on a hike with a child (or a crazy lady who should know better), who’s a packrat at heart? Walk along the trail, and periodically she’ll find a pretty leaf or an interesting rock or some other little bit of spontaneous wonderfulness that she just has to bring home.

Pretty soon her pockets are bulging (or yours are), and the accumulated load begins to weigh something. The realization gradually dawns: “Oh, just one more! It won’t take much space. And isn’t that just the coolest thing?” is a trap.

It’s the same with interesting new projects, or shiny new responsibilities. “Sure, that won’t take too much extra time,” or, “I’d love to help with that,” or, “I bet I could improve on how that’s done,” can turn into excellent opportunities you’ll always be glad you accepted. They also can start to weigh you down. 

Time to re-pack the load

Sooner or later, the camel stumbles. The pocket’s seam pops. Or a deadline just can’t be met. Our metaphorical camel has balked at that daunting, final straw.

Eventually, it’s time to re-pack the load. 

This week, that’s what happened to me. But re-packing all of exactly the same old baggage puts us right back in exactly the same old pickle we had before. Each “coolest thing” and each shiny new project carries “weight” in the form of a time commitment, as well as possible financial cost. It’s time to rethink priorities. 

Which one is the sparkliest rock? The most important job? Which will you most regret leaving behind on the trail, and which will carry you more fruitfully in the direction you really want to go? Gotta leave a few “cool things” behind, sometimes, if you’re gonna make it home with your pockets intact and a place for each thing when you get there.

IMAGE CREDITS: The photo of the resting camel is from ABC news (no photographer credited). Many thanks to Wise Famous Quotes for the gem from Mary Kay Ash, to More Famous Quotes for the observation from Gail Sheehy, and to “Inspire 99” for the unattributed quote about knowing where to make the effort.