Burnout

“I’ll never get anything done if that phone keeps ringing!” “Look at the line!” “Wanna go shopping with me?”

Expressions from another lifetime, one with periods of exasperation and burnout due to overwhelming responsibilities, ill-timed interruptions and despair for circumstances beyond my control.

Planning some fun was the antidote. At the top of my list was a trip to a bookstore. Just walking into one signaled a relaxation response. So many treasures to behold numbed my awareness of tunes too loud, merchandise still to be stocked or someone standing where I wanted to browse. Time could get away so easily for me in such a setting. Even driving miles and miles to visit one was not an aggravation.

A trip to the movies, complete with large buttery popcorn and giant drink, was also a fun escape from adulting. If there was a line, the excitement escalated, indicating the movie might match the joy of the treats.

Shopping was also an effective prescription for what ailed me. Going to a mall meant miles to travel first, but that posed no problem since it would also include a meal at an eatery seldom visited. Browsing cleared my head. Purchasing not required. If I had a shopping pal, the conversation and laughter could not be beat.

During these retirement years of mine, I’m stumped by those same symptoms of burnout and exasperation. I still have responsibilities, but not nearly of the same magnitude.

There are times when I yearn for the landline to ring. The ringtone on my cell phone imitates that. My brain still connects long friendly chats and laughter to that sound. I’d pull up a chair and sit a spell, or stretch the cord to a comfy corner and catch up with news and share mine. Those were connections I valued across miles and time. My cell phone doesn’t signal the same kinds of connections these days.

Seeing movies is different, too. I have to budget for those exorbitant movie-going treats. It’s been ages since I’ve stood in line for a ticket. Patrons can buy them online. But why make the effort? The blockbusters will be streaming soon. Many times while waiting I’d see someone I knew and have a chat. It wasn’t unusual to have a conversation with a total stranger as we inched toward the ticket counter. Are those connections old-fashioned now?

Shopping has certainly changed. Browsing means surfing the net or getting trapped by the pop-up ads on social media, which goes with us everywhere. Purchasing is a click away. We don’t have to unload goods from the car. We open the front door and snatch them off the porch. No pals around, so no conversation and laughter around, either.

They may not have been the typical “good ol’ days” but I miss them.