Don’t get so busy being busy that you forget to actually live

Whenever I ask a friend or colleague how they have been doing, the answer is almost always a variation on the following theme:

“Busy!” “Crazy busy” “Busy, busy, busy.” “Good, but busy.” “Crazy, insane, manic!” “Madness, I tell you, utter madness.” “I’m drowning.” “Swamped.” “Snowed under an avalanche of work.” “Burning the candle at both ends.” “Burning the midnight oil.” “I’m burned out.” “Can’t catch my breath.” “Always playing catch up.” “My plate is full.” “My gas tank is empty.” “Too many fish to fry.” “Too many irons on the fire.” “Tied up.” “Tied down.” “So busy I forgot to eat.” “What day of the week is it?” “Unbelievably Buuusssssyyyyy.” “No time to pee, let alone think.” “I’ve been such a ‘buzzy’ bee, hahaha… get it, ‘buzzy’, hahaha.” And so on…