“Everyone gets overwhelmed. You need to pick just one thing,” says my mom. “I’ll help you.”
“Okay,” I say. “You help pick one. These are some of my ideas: Lose twenty pounds. Work out regularly. Buy groceries at the discount store. Focus on paying off loans and credit cards. Floss teeth. Try to relax. Wash dishes. Live in the moment. Say what I’m feeling instead of letting it bottle up and become carbonated. Don’t eat out so much. Pay rent on time. Take antidepressant, asthma, and PMS medication regularly, do not skip a day. Stop buying frozen dinners and women’s magazines. Don’t smoke when drinking. Practice self-acceptance.”
“Well, I pick the last one,” says [my mom]. “But why don’t you start with something more manageable, like dishwashing?”
Excerpted from Welcome to My Planet by Shannon Olson.
