I am a task-oriented person. I like to check things off a mental list at the end of the day so that I can "prove" to myself that I spent my time well that day.
You can see the problem with this list. First, it is impossible to check off laundry. There is simply no end, no completion of this. Unless you live in a nudist colony. Which reminds me....
Kidding.
Second, there is no checking off "raising children". As far as I can tell, there is no end. Third, there is no foolproof toy organization; that is, if you have children. I have recently tricked myself into thinking that if I purchase a lot of baskets and cubbies with pretty labels that toys will find their way into their neatly labeled baskets. IT'S TRICKERY! BASKETS AND LABELS ARE FOR DECEIVED PARENTS WHO THINK THEIR CHILDREN WILL FOLLOW THE SYSTEM!!! (But the baskets are really pretty and so well labeled).
But I am fortunate.
I have a network of people around me who support and encourage me to write, to think about valuable things, to keep a sense of humor about the everyday, to be a better mom and better friend.
It reminds me that I want to be the kind of person who shows up when life is difficult for others around me. I want to encourage others to rethink what success is. My days, like everyone else's, is filled with small and seemingly insignificant things. Our lives are constantly being disrupted by things that aren't on our list and most of those interruptions are really inconvenient and annoying. How can I [we] use our day today to inspire, encourage and be available to someone who wasn't on our list this morning?
