We all seem to insist on how busy, busy, busy we constantly are. Let’s put things in perspective: tell us about the craziest, busiest, most hectic day you’ve had in the past decade.

I don’t know about the craziest day in the past decade. There have been several. But my craziest day had taken place earlier, 14 or 15 years ago, when after a frantic month my boss gave me three assignments for the same day. I warned him that I was too tired and It was too much, but he insisted. I did the work he asked and finished at midnight but at the end I collapsed. I went to the doctor and I was diagnosed with a deep depression.

Later I went back to my old job in the newsroom.  Every day I had to edit two or three pages of international news which was a frantic run against the clock starting at 4 pm till 11 pm or later. When the time came to do the book of the year, I had to write too reports about what had happened during the year and keep at the same time editing my three pages a day. Those days my schedule was expanded to four more hours in the morning to check the archives, choose the pictures and write.

And I had to find time to tend my family.

I guess any working woman can tell similar stories. So there is nothing special in my busy days in the last decade.

Now I’m similarly busy, taking care of my mom. Above all when we have to go out to see the doctor. She needs help for everything. There is no moment of rest. Only when she’s sleeping. But she doesn’t sleep very well lately.

I remember the days we had to do endless paperwork in order to get some social security help for my mom. My sister and I couldn’t leave her alone, and at the same time we had to go from office to office to achieve something. Really busy and stressful days.

Out of Breath.