LIST MAKERS EVERYWHERE ~ REJOICE!
For most of my life I have been in fast mode. Often, I need
to be reminded to slow down as those around me cannot keep up with the pace; from
the moment my feet hit the floor in the morning, it’s off and running. Most
days, before 8:00 AM I have put together breakfast, packed lunches, planned
dinner, scrolled through and returned a few emails, played a game or two of
Words, scrolled through other social media, stepped on the tread mill for a
quick run, showered, thrown in a load of laundry, put out the garbage, made the
bed and put away the dishes from the night before. And all during this
Energizer Bunny routine, my darling husband sits relaxed with his morning tea
with a “stare-y eyed” look on his face.
Now I know this may sound crazy, but I actually love doing
no less than 5 things at once; and pride myself at being able to do them with
perfection. Single-tasking is torture for me. I find it difficult to just sit
in a chair and gaze into space. Even on vacation I feel the need to get up at
the crack of dawn and see as much as possible within driving distance. While
some love the idea of rocking in a hammock or lounging in a chair, eyes closed,
I dream of what books I can read off my to-be-read list.
Because this feverish pace suits me, I am a perpetual List
Maker. I have lists for Everything.
I make a list for the groceries, what items I need to finish my taxes, what
bills to pay and when, who I need to call. My Christmas list starts as soon as
Christmas is over. And believe me, this is only a small list of the lists. Some
may think this compulsive;
I like to think of it as methodical.
Or, systematic. Most people who know me think I am very
organized; I’m the one people call when they need something done ASAP and
efficiently. I’m the family reunion organizer, the party planner, the
behind-the-scenes form processor; usually under duress and under an impossible
time frame. And I’ll admit, my
dedication to lists sometimes has me jumping up in the middle of a conversation
to check on a status; however, it is because I write these lists that I am able
to uber-speedy my way through most anything thrown at me. It’s comforting to
know I can always go to a list and work out the answer. In fact, when I don’t
assign a task to a list, I sometimes wake up in the dark of the night
wide-eyed, with a gnawing, incessant ticker tape of unfinished tasks running
through my head.
We are all good at something. I may not have the talent to
bake anything other than an upside-down, half-baked, lopsided cake, or have the
coordination to Zumba my way around the gym but give me the challenge of preparing
a project and I’m off and running. Disclaimer: Truth be told, ~shhhhhhhhhhh~ I really write lists because I fear I will
forget something; when I start forgetting where I put my lists or have to make
a list to find a list, I will know that it has gotten out of hand.
Until then…..Carpe Diem!
