Living My Life

As this long weekend passed, I thought I would have all the time in the world to sit back, write and reflect here. But I was wrong.

I am a list-maker. I derive great satisfaction by writing down my goals and triumphantly crossing things off as I accomplish them. When I found myself with 3 unexpected days off this past weekend (I didn't find out until Friday, but none of my babysitting families needed me on Monday so I had Sunday - Tuesday off!), I quickly made a list.

When I get in these goal oriented modes, my writing is tedious. I end up writing a time line of all that I accomplished, how and when. Satisfying for me, but pretty boring to read. So I didn't write.

Instead, I accomplished most of what was on my list. My lists always tend to be a little ambitious and I write down 1 or 2 more things than I can comfortably accomplish. But I tended to the important matters anyway.

And the best part is that Kurt and I did one fun thing a day. We saw a movie, we went bowling with friends and we went out with Dale and his girlfriend on Dale's boat.

I didn't have a lot of adult company throughout the weekend (though I did talk to at least one adult per day) and I think this is often the reason that I sit down and write so often. The excess words in my head that simply don't have a place to go when I don't talk to another adult person. But for some reason, I was very content to just be quiet with my thoughts this weekend. No great epiphanies to share ... no overwhelming sense of emotion to quiet ... no real story to tell. I was content within myself and within my world.

And as I sit here with my second cup of coffee this morning and look ahead at the day that lies before me, I feel ready to take it on. Back to my real life. Back to the world of kids and tending to their many needs.

There is nothing like some time off from 'the real world' to rejuvinate a person. It is intoxicating to accomplish things that you have been putting off. One of these days, I am going to put "sit down and read a book" on that list.