The Excuse
of Busy
By Rachel Marie Martin
Some excuses can make us feel
extremely productive. Who doesn’t
want to get stuff done? In fact,
we exist in a culture that praises
p ro d u c t i v i t y. J u s t t o d a y, a s I
stretched my almost healed ankle
in physical therapy, my therapist
asked, “What are your plans for the
weekend?” Even though it’s just a
conversation starter, there is the
underlying idea that we must have
some sort of agenda, something
we are doing. But sometimes the
agenda we think is ideal and correct
can be an excuse with a mask that
stops us from doing what we need
to do.
The agendas—the excuses—often
collaborate and work together, so
if you find yourself identifying with
one, be prepared, because one of
the others might be adding fuel to
your excuse fire.
Sweet Grandpa Witt, my mom’s dad,
was a farmer in southern Minnesota.
During harvest time when I was a
little girl, my folks would pack up my
siblings and me and we’d drive down
to his farm for a visit. During the
day we’d play in the kitchen, while
Grandma and my mom prepared
meals for those in the field. We
always slept in the room above the
front porch, and often throughout
the night I heard the workers come
in and out, in and out. Yet I didn’t see
my grandpa much during harvest.
He was in the fields.
Solutions • 23