Item Number Four

Yesterday my to-do list looked like this:

1. Pay bills
2. Run M to stable
3. Target returns (buy wipes!)
4. write for 30 mins.
5. wash cleaning rags
6. call W. re: hockey tournament
7. email J. re: GS
8. email A. re: hockey tournament raffle

By the end of the day, each item had been crossed off my list-- save item number four. It was easy to push aside. After all, Wells Fargo would take a dim view of me skipping over item number one. And poor Willow, well, she's been on stall rest for about three weeks now, and she needed to get out and be ridden. And if I didn't make it to Target while Madeleine was riding then I would need to make a whole separate trip up on a different day when it would be less convenient. And on and on and on.

I am not a writer. I have no serious aspirations of book deals or bylines. My biggest ambition at this moment in time is to keep my house a comfortable, harmonious, and inspiring place to live and learn.

And yet, as evening threatened and I rightly prioritized washing dishes and making dinner over crossing out that last non-chore on my chore list, I admit I was a bit disappointed in not making time for something I enjoy, something that allows me to explore and connect the disjointed thoughts floating about my head.

And so, here I am. It is a new day with a shorter, more manageable to-do list. Writing, for me, doesn't mean blogging, necessarily, so I don't know if my newly found determination will translate into more blog posts (I suspect it will not) but, for today, I am here, spending thirty minutes of this lovely, snowy day with my MacBook in front of me and my cold cup of this morning's leftover coffee at my side, writing a post for my blog. I am happy to have made the time to cross this off my list today.