Do Lists

My mother is the queen of making lists. Every time she and dad head off to some other part of the country or world, she leaves behind a short novel of instruction for the affairs of her household. She also has these lengthy do lists for each day of things she plans to accomplish that day (or week). I go back and forth between being a listmaker and spontaneous doer (although there generally is a running list in my head) of the things I need and want to do. I recall during my teen years I would list every item I needed to pack for the trips I went on to Colorado (for camp) and to Europe (for fun). When household chores overwhelm me, I generally need to list them so I can feel some sense of accomplishment after one is done and I can, not just cross it off, but scratch it out to oblivion. Somehow during the past two years of my personal hurricane, I have managed to get things done without jotting most them down. Presently I am feeling that sense of too much to do with too little time to do it in. So instead of actually doing them, I'm sitting here writing about making lists..typical avoidance :) Tonight I have a small window of time while the kids are at dinner with their father, but it isn't really long enough to do anything of consequence. Perhaps I'll catch up on my magazines (I am two months behind on those) or finish some work in my sewing studio. What I really should do is make a list, so I can feel that satisfaction of scratching something out when I've completed it.