Surviving A Lull is not the same as clawing your way out of The Abyss (as previously discussed). I am in a lull right now. I was very busy for months and then submitted two large pieces of work and now I am in the lull that occurs after that.
Not only is there nothing to do, there’s nothing I can do, because I might have an awful lot to do soon - but I also might not. So here I am, in a lull. Unable to plan, unable to move forwards in any meaningful way. But as Dr Phil Stutz always says, “Life is full of pain, uncertainty and constant work.”
But I now recall my husband’s words to me when I went freelance and experienced my first lull. “Enjoy it!” he said. “You will be busy soon.”
It’s at times like these that I am grateful for the mental load, which as you are well aware, is the endless scrolling loop of Don’t Forgets. When you are my age, busywork is important as otherwise during a lull it can feel very much like precious time is trickling through my fingers. Procrastination is a young person’s game! So the mental load makes me feel useful when I am otherwise Not In Use.
Women are supposed to despise and feel resentful about the mental load, but I made peace with mine a long time ago. When you have had to deal with the mental load while also turning out a lot of work and dealing with very small and tiresome children, it can be like hauling a large bag full of miss-shaphen concrete objects about. When you are in a lull, the mental load is your friend!
I am particularly grateful at times like these for my son’s absolutely bonkers numbers of uniform changes per week, which is minimum 3 and maximum 6. SIX UNIFORM CHANGES. And each uniform has a special jacket, socks, shoes, technical undergarments and sometimes also a hat. You say: What A Hassle, I say: Excuse Me, I’ve Got Cricket Boxes To Label.
When my son leaves home for good, which he will do quite promptly when the time comes, (he’s got that look in his eye), I will passionately miss organising his sports kit and soaking the knees of his cricket trousers in Vanish even though my husband says Don’t Bother, it’s fine if they’re permanently green.
What else I have done with the lull:
1 Found all our insulated drinks sleeves and lunch bags to keep drinks and lunches cool with the approaching warmer weather AND cleaned them.
2 Found a new pilates class
3 Sorted out the bag-full-of-bags in the kitchen and stashed a healthy number in the car’s boot. Pretty much every time I go out in the car I find I need a large bag (even if I didn’t leave the house in order to go shopping) and the pain in the pit of my stomach as I have to ask for a bag, when there are genuinely 8,000 in the bag-of-bags in the kitchen is too much to bear. Now they are all in the car’s boot.
4 Re-potted houseplants! Truly a bottom-of-the-list task but so soulful. Take the plant out of the pot, shake off the old dusty soil. Fill a larger pot with nice new soil, put in the new plant, pray you haven’t somehow killed it during this house-move, water heavily.
5 Booked Kitty in for an eye test. Kitty will never leave home. She’s got that look in her eye.
6 Filled the car’s screen-wash whatsit up
7 Stocked the downstairs WC with various SPFs so no-one has any excuse not to use it (especially me - more on this later in the week).
8 Go for very long walks on the Heath while texting various WFH friends saying “Are you about for tea? I’m soooo boooored.”
How about you? Are you in a lull? Please inspire us with all the vital tasks you are able to get to when you are in your own personal lull.
I'm in the fucking opposite of a lull. You know when you agree to do loads of things with similar deadlines, but kinda forget you'll have to do the things? I AM IN WEEK TWO OF THREE MAD WEEKS OF COMMITMENT THAT I AGREED TO IN JANUARY, AND I AM FLOUNDERING.
I yearn for half term and lying down with cucumber on my eyes for a week. But when I am in the lull, I sort BOOKS and then plan LOADS MORE WORK because I can only ever stop for a day or two or I never get going again.
I had a lull in workload (freelance project manager) in April...everyone was off for Easter/ill. I now find the 'team' are back on full throttle, but I'm down with bug (I can only think it's Covid, but a strain not registering on the tests) as I'm usually full 'contractor mode' (e.g. if I lose I leg it's ok 'cause I can hop to the office). :)
Hubby has Foxtrot Oscar'ed off to Scotland on biz (why does the shit hit the fan... in various forms when he goes away??).
I'm in full Hungry (Pissed) Caterpillar mode today... I've had 3 hot toddies to enable sleep with 4 pillows stacked behind me (bc I missed any sleep last night due to needing water/pee/Strepsils on the 1/2 hour). Thank goodness for mother who delivered Cook supper (and wine... it's clearly genetic!)... I totally cool that I'm too ill/pissed to care about No1 son's first GCSEs today and that No2 son has run away with my phone so he can set up his new iPhone probably to undo all the good work I had put in place to be a Kate Winslet momma and protect him from social media... Honestly! Ho hum!
Right... am off to embrace 'enforced lull' dans ma chambre! TTFN!