Self-Immolation

From the Jolanda Tarot, the Ten of Wands; from Bird Signs, the Pelican:

          This man has become a self-made martyr because of obligations and projects that now leave him wondering how in the world he will handle it all. Why has everyone left him holding the bag? Due to a case of egoitis or people-pleasing, he didn't refuse anything. But realistically, is there anything or anyone that would be irrevocably damaged if he takes a break? I'd be willing to bet his would be a short list. However I'm sure there's an old tape playing in his mind that chants, "Don't be a quitter. What people think about you matters." Perhaps he needs to add a new one to the playlist: "Admit you're human and made a mistake."
          Have you ever noticed how two words that mean approximately the same thing have different values of good or bad placed on them? The keyword given to the Pelican is "spontaneous," which seems to suggest a bit of unscheduled fun. Yet "impulsive" implies roughly the same thing as far as something unplanned and spur-of-the-moment goes (but is often seen as an immature trait). Whenever I see a pelican, I think of the rhyme, "the strangest bird is the pelican; his beak holds more than his belly can." This sounds just like the Ten of Wands guy, who took on more than he was capable of managing. Time to step down off your pyre, do some long-range planning, and make a priority list.