Good Day Y'all

Wake up,
Brush my teeth (may not have another chance for awhile),
Run bath water (his, not mine),
Unload dishwasher,
Grind coffee,
Start car and scrape the windshield (theirs, not mine),
Make coffee,
Pick up stray dirty clothes,
Put laundry in the dryer,
Start another load of wash,
Write check for lunch money,
Prod children to get up, get back up and keep moving (all of them),
Butter toast (hers, not mine),
Pour cereal (his, not mine),
Rinse dishes and reload dishwasher,
Put on my shoes,
Find Sonny’s shoes,
Look for missing library book,
Let the dog out and back in,
Collect the trash and pull trash can to the curb (Wednesdays only),
Pull up my bed covers,
Turn on computer,
Drive Sonny to school (dressed in what I slept in),
Drive home,
Drive Mamacita to school (cooling coffee in hand),
Drive home,
Take 35 minute work call,
Another laundry switch,
Vacuum (God love my super-shedder Ani),
Breathe.

Whew…the first hour and a half of my day. I’ve always prided myself on being a master multi-tasker… a learned skill…one that has guaranteed actually getting some things done around here. Fact is… my morning ritual (and similar afternoon ritual) will not stop or slow down…and can not change… it is what it is…I am just busy….from the time my feet hit the ground… I am moving at a pace that would bamboozle the likes of most people…and I am not complaining. Although it is because of this pace that I have definitely been thinking more about how I spend my time once my children are all at school.

Today, when it was a little more quiet and the frenzy eased up…I was sitting with a warmer second cup of coffee and I was thinking about what I can get done in less then two hours…I felt a wee bit tired just thinking about it. As I sat and read my email I had this thought...something I once read about doing one thing at a time…I racked my brain and pulled a handful of books off the shelf skimming and I found it in Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff. Number 62. Do One Thing at a Time.

The idea is basically just what it says…to commit to doing only one thing at a time. To concentrate on that ONE thing, ideally to be more engaged in a single action. For over a year I have made a concerted effort to slow my pace when I can…but I am also going to choose a single thing to do, focus on, feel fully present and a part of. There is enough rushing around in my day to allow for an opportunity to slow down…this I have already identified…but can you imagine doing one thing at a time…. ha, a novel idea…..and just for good measure that one thing…should rightfully be ME centered, don’t ya think?

As I wrote this… I let the phone ring…more then once. I got at least 4 text messages that I did not look at… and I could see in the toolbar a number of Tweets accumulating. I am happy to say I’ve just done my ONE thing at a time… probably the last time today (or this week) that I will be able to pull that off. Que Sera, Sera….What Will Be, Will Be….but I am going to try when the tempo of my day is quieter and slower to pick and do only one thing at a time.