Have you ever run into the grocery store for just one or two items then realized that your arms were overflowing?

Life can be like that and especially for our youth! It is easy over-schedule or underestimate the time needed to accomplish tasks and, suddenly, our day or week have been become overwhelming!

It is important to think about our options. Just like making the decision to grab a cart when our groceries are more than we planned, where do we need help? Do we need to put some things back, both at the grocery store or in life? Are there some things that we realize we don’t need at all? 

4-H is about experiential learning and sometimes that learning includes how to balance. I encourage families to not take on too many projects at a time or take a reasonable number of entries to an event. 

Some people thrive on dozens of balls in the air – they can make that grocery store run look effortless. Others maintain a streamlined focus – I need two items and two items is all I am picking up. I know that I fall somewhere in the middle most of the time! Youth need to see the adults in their world set parameters and ask for help when needed. 

Yes, there are times when we are scrambling to hold everything. Be sure to stop and think about your bigger picture and what we teach young people when we must be “busy” all the time and can’t/won’t take time for a rest. That rest may be as simple as enjoying a star-filled sky, sharing a funny joke, or having lunch with a friend.

Keep learning. Keep showing grace and kindness.

Michelle Beran is the 4-H and Youth Development Agent for the Cottonwood District, Barton County office. Send email to mberan@ksu.edu or call 620-793-1910.