The Thing About "Busy"

A couple of weeks ago, I was working a long, hard day. I had a lot of people counting on me and I was in a mad rush from clock in to clock out. I had so many things to do, so many people to please, and to top it off, we were short handed. When it came time for the lunch I didn't have time for, I sprinted to the campus cafe... which of course, was packed. I was standing in line when I saw someone I knew. She asked how I was and I simply replied, "really busy!". It took me by surprise when the man working behind the counter piped up, "Yeah... we're all busy!" Ouch. I kind of scoffed, grabbed my lunch and gobbled it in a hurry.And then it hit me. I had been running around all day thinking thoughts like, "Come on--can't you move any faster? I'm so busy. I have so much to do". I hadn't even considered anyone else.And that's the thing about "busy"; Life gets tough, time gets short, and we get "busy". But "busy" isn't an excuse to be selfish. "Busy" isn't a cop-out for being rude. Busy isn't an answer to, "how are you?".I'm not busy. I'm Jaelan--I'm thoughtful and compassionate and I always hope to brighten someone's day--"busy" isn't who I am. From that day on, I've made a conscious effort to be Jaelan despite what I had on my plate for the day--despite how "busy" I am. We are defined by who we are in the worst moments, not the best, and I want to be  me--Jaelan--I don't want to be busy.[Tweet "We are defined by who we are in the worst moments, not the best."]What do you think about "busy"? Have you ever let life "steal" your identity temporarily? Linking up to Your Whims Wednesday.