One Steward’s Response: When tacos tell you to vacation

I love to cook. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to do it as much as I’d like because of school. However, one Saturday morning, I woke up early to help my mom make homemade breakfast tacos.
She was going to make homemade tortillas and salsa. I would make the “papas con huevo” or the potatoes with egg. First, I had to cut the potatoes. The knife I pulled from the drawer was dull, but I tried cutting the potatoes anyway. It was extremely difficult and a little dangerous. People are more prone to cut themselves with dull knives than sharp ones.
Before I got through one out of the 10 potatoes, I knew that I could not continue. I had to take care of the knife before I took care of the potatoes.
That knife became a metaphor for my life.
Ever since I can remember, I always try to be involved with as many things as possible in the community. I always try to help with as many things as I can. Sometimes I even get a Messiah complex – I feel that I am the only one who knows how to help. Not healthy.
Adding my community involvement to a full-time job, school, family, social life and spiritual life, I end up with an overbooked schedule. In fact, this schedule affects my sleep and focus.
But, I still keep going. My anxiety tells me that if I drop one of those things I’m a failure or I’m letting someone down.
While cutting the potatoes that morning, I started to see my life was like that dull knife.
Just as the dull and uncared-for knife could not effectively cut the potatoes, I can’t expect to help anyone if I’m not caring for myself. Regardless of how hard I work, I could never expect to function efficiently if I am not keeping myself sharp like the knife.
I have to stop and relax to stay sharp.
It sometimes seems like there’s too much work, too many people to help, too many people to please to actually take a break from it all. Being a good Steward means helping others. But if we are so involved in helping others or even so involved in a ministry that we’re losing sleep, we are not being good stewards of our bodies because of the potential health risks. And as we should know, our bodies and their healthy function is a gift from God.
Before you can cut potatoes, you make sure your knife is sharp and cared for. And you need to keep yourself sharp if you want to help others. Basically, if you’re overworked and tired, take a break and go on vacation. You’re not being selfish, you’re just being a good Steward.
Richard Rosario is assistant director of New Community Development in the Stewardship and Communications Department of the Diocese of Beaumont. His ministry is made possible by the gifts of the Catholic faithful of Southeast Texas through the Bishop’s Faith Appeal.