Busy Bee

So yesterday seemed to be gang-up-on-Stuart day, sort of. I have a handful of very close friends who share my busy lifestyle and work-life balance. But I have a few friends who seem to have endless free time on their hands. I am finally at a place where I am happy in nearly every aspect of my life. But...


Yesterday, on several independent occassions, I had a friend or three tell me I was too 'busy.' In all fairness, I believe I DO lead a busy lifestyle (hell, I only do Facebook stuff on my train commute), but I can't quite understand what "TOO" busy means.


Realistically, I work 9-10 hour days, sometimes longer depending on the political season. I (try to) go to the gym several times a week, and I always enforce an hour or so of "me time" to work on personal projects or music every day. The few hours left, I meet friends for dinner or I TRAVEL. Sitting on my ass is not my idea of efficient time management (thus my general disinterest in TV).


That said, I was a little annoyed when I "discovered" from several people that I'm 'too busy.' What does that mean? To me, it's like drawing a conclusion before reading the story. Maybe these friends could ask to PARTICIPATE in my activities, or travel WITH me or HELP me with my projects? God knows I help everyone else (gratis, mind you)!


Maybe it's me being un-yielding, but shouldn't *I* be the judge of how busy I am?