My daughter’s three-week holiday break ended today with the start of school. My husband also returned to work after being on holiday hours, too. So after the shock of 6:30 AM carpool, I got the desktop computer — and the house — to myself, and had no more excuses for getting DOWN TO WORK.
Except…
…WHERE DO I BEGIN?
I have a to-do list chock full of tasks that are mostly mundane or unpleasant: housekeeping, bill paying, meal planning, organizing.
I have another list, of activities I have promised myself I am going to find time to engage in this year:
1. Read more books (I have always been a reader, but lately all I seem to be able to muster time for are newspaper and magazine articles and websites).
2. See more movies (I am determined to relaunch my old “Moms Movie Club” – even if I am the only member!)
3. Socialize more (I love seeing friends, but I’m lazy. Easier to kick back at home in the evening than get dressed and get out of the house. I need to fight this!)
4. Exercise (actually, this item is on both lists. It sounds like fun until I think about actually DOING it.)
5. Write a post for at least one of my websites EVERY SINGLE DAY. (Even if I don’t have much to say. Hence this.) And visit other blogs and comment there. You know, OLD SCHOOL.
If you could see inside my head, you’d laugh at the amount of time I spend thinking of topics to write about. I’ve got a running commentary on everything: items in the news, stuff I see on the shelves at Target, something my kid just told me, what I’m watching on television. And I cannot wait until I can work these topics into posts — especially during holidays when solitary time is scarce.
So it is ironic that once that opportunity finally arrives, my mind goes BLANK.
It has not always been this way. I have developed some bad habits over the years, abetted by the constant distraction of social media, which is supposed to be an asset. Just as I need to work out my body, I think these writing muscles have to be stretched again. Hopefully, my brain still has enough muscle memory that it won’t take too long.
Yeah, that sums up a lot of what’s going on in my head, too. I spent a week playing in Chicago with my husband while our boys were away followed by a week of two kids getting over jet lag and fighting. My husband had been working from home since June and now he’s in an office job and the kids are at school. I’m walking the line between being productive and relishing the quiet.
Have a great year!