Late yesterday afternoon I plopped onto the family room sofa next to my husband and sighed heavily.
"What's wrong?" he asked, being well versed in my language of sighs.
"I can't believe it's already 5:30 and I haven't made it more than a third of the way through my list," I pouted.
He glanced away from his list... the extensive choices on his TiVo menu... and looked over at me.
"Why do you make your list so long?" he said calmly. "You know you haven't got a chance in hell of getting all that stuff done in one day. You're only setting yourself up for failure."
Nonplussed, I just shook my head and wandered into the kitchen to start dinner (which was not even on the list).
It's maddening, but he's actually right. I do set myself up for failure because my expectations are always far too high. There are always so many things I want/need/ plan to do, and never enough time to do them. I seem to have lost the art of relaxation. It's so difficult for me to put the list aside and sit down with a book or go for a walk without feeling utterly guilty, my thoughts returning to the unattended items on the daily list. There seems to be an increased sense of urgency to every day, and it makes me feel tired and out of balance.
In future, perhaps I should actually make a list that looks like this...
~Tea in the garden
~Bike ride through the park
~Shopping
~Pedicure and facial
~Lay in the chaise under the tree
~Watch a movie
~Long soak in the tub with candles
I have a feeling this list would get completed in a jiffy.
How about you? Do you make lists? Do you check off every item? What would be at the top of your "me only" list?