Email, My Arch-Nemesis

Email. Just the word gives me a mild case of the hives. You might think being the "Director of TRIBE" makes me some sort of organizational wizard, but let me assure you, it mostly just means I have a fancy title and a mountain of tasks that never quite seem to shrink. And email? Well, email is like that one kid at the playground who never stops asking questions.

Firstly, let's talk about my weekly flower escapades. Every week, I pick up our recurring flower donation. Sounds delightful, right? Until you realize each bunch needs to be cleaned, sorted, and dragged up 3 flights of stairs. Imagine me, knee-deep in petals, desperately trying to arrange roses while my phone buzzes with emails that need my attention. Spoiler alert: the roses usually win.

Then there’s the laundry. Yes, laundry. I trek across the street with a giant hamper like a modern-day Hercules, except instead of battling mythical creatures, I’m battling the urge to just drop everything and take a nap. We don't to overwhelm our besties ar Valhalla, so I end up making this trip multiple times a week. Meanwhile, my inbox? Overflowing like a toddler’s toy box.

Speaking of toddlers, I also spend a lot of time at schools. Whether it’s helping out with the holiday shop or weed-whacking the kindergarten play area (those pointy stickers are no joke), I’m there. And guess what? I can’t exactly draft emails while wielding a weed whacker. If you’ve ever tried, you’ll understand the struggle is real.

Now, sprinkle in a few concrete bricks. Literally. Picture me unloading a truckload of them, phone buzzing away in my pocket, probably with some urgent email about an upcoming meeting. And those meetings? They’re non-stop. From one to the next, and by the time I get a moment to breathe, my computer time is already booked solid.

When I do manage to sit at my desk,, at TRIBE, there's a constant parade of adorable distractions popping in to say hi. Which is wonderful, truly. But it means I’m about as productive as a sloth on a caffeine crash. They feel guilty for interrupting, I feel guilty for not getting back to emails—it’s a guilt spiral, so I try not to bother working on my computer when I am at TRIBE.

Then there's the memory issue. I see emails on my phone, triage them, and then… poof! They vanish into the ether of my mind. I make an effort to go through my messages every few days, but let's be real: I miss things. If you’ve ever received a “Oops, sorry, this slipped by me!” text from me days later, you know the struggle.

Text messages? I can handle those on the go. But emails? I feel this immense pressure to sit down and craft a thoughtful reply. And sitting down thoughtfully is a rare commodity around here. So, I’m working on it. I’m trying to carve out specific times for email responses. But the moment I hit “send,” I already have five new replies waiting. It’s like playing Whack-A-Mole, but less fun.

So, dear email senders, if you haven’t heard back from me yet, it’s not personal. I’m not ignoring you. I’m just trying to find a moment between the meetings, the flowers, the laundry, sorting donations, and the landscaping at school. One

day, I’ll be the email ninja you all deserve. Until then, patience and a sense of humor are appreciated.