Maybe we don't have to do it all

If you regularly berate yourself for not exercising enough, not printing and organizing your photos, not reading all the bestsellers on the New York Times book list, you need to stop what you're doing right now and and click HERE to read a great column by Judith Warner. As I was reading it, I felt as though I was listening to the story of my life, a blow-by-blow description of my very own unrealistic expectations.

It's only recently -- as I find I simply do not have the motivation to get up for 5:45 a.m. yoga class or run through rain or sleet outside -- that I'm starting to wonder if maybe I should cut myself a break. Maybe I don't have to make homemade cupcakes for every bake sale or school function. Maybe I don't have to fly into a panic if I gain two pounds. Maybe I don't have to do every single thing that is suggested or that pops into my head. Maybe I'd be happier if I just slowed down and enjoyed a few quiet moments now and then and just brought a store-bought cake to the bake sale. It's taken me almost 47 years to get to that point, but I think at some point you realize life is too important to waste so much time and effort of stuff that really doesn't matter in the long run.