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Like you, I am behind. Nowadays, it is impossible not to be behind. Every single thing on our agenda has a dozen moving parts, and if you multiply the number of things by the number of moving parts, you get a headache or its equivalent.

We are getting many of those things done. But, like that nine-headed Hydra bred to kill Hercules, our work just grows another head after one head is lopped off. Ah, the labors of Hercules! We have this impossible Hydra to deal with, that many-headed monster of important things to get done.

Let us take a brief moment to smile at our situation. Have we done it to ourselves? Have the times done it to us? Are there malicious Greek gods at play? The Hydra myth, we are told, represents “the timeless struggle between man and seemingly insurmountable odds.” Ah, how comforting that “seemingly” is! Maybe the odds are just insurmountable. Could be.

So, relax for a moment. Lop off another head, if you like; or just let the Hydra be for a few minutes. Our labors will be there, waiting, after our welcome break.

And what to do on our break? Enjoy red. Sing a song. Ponder if two plus two really equally four. What if it equals … nineteen? Take a look at yellow. Maybe yellow and red equals eleven and not orange? Have a fig. When was the last time you had a fig? Have a fig, picture blue, and leave the Hydra to its own devices. We’ll be obliged to resume the battle soon enough.