Every day I begin with a mental list.
A list of all I want to achieve for the day.
It begins as a blank canvas waiting to be filled, where anything and everything is possible.
As the day progresses, and life does it thing, It begins to dawn on me that I may not get even some of the things on my mental list achieved.
It's right about that moment that I start to get a little frustrated, I start to resent all the obsticles that lie in my way of achieving that ever so busy and important to do list.
When pick up time for the children arrives, my daughter asks, "What did you do today?"
I pause - trying to see what I can tick off from my mental list. I know I was busy, but what did I do?
"Just stuff" I say," just stuff".
Latter that night when dinner is done, lunches are made, uniforms are ironed, I walk past the clock and look at the late hour. I walk past the studio door and look longingly in. "Too late to start anything now" I think. "Tomorrow I'll get in there" - tomorrow is filled with possibilities, because today I am busy being busy.
Hi Megan,
I KNOW about those lists....they can kill just being in the moment, and creating, and having fun!!!....
Necessary but not nice sometimes...But I do enjoy crossing off things on my lists with a huge black sharpie...
I give myself one day a week that is ART DAY...so everything else can go look after itself....LOL
I have nominated you for the Marie Antoinette REAL person award...as I have actually met you and you are more real than some other people I know...Know you deserve time for your art...you really do....xx
Posted by: Julia Rose | February 04, 2009 at 07:34 AM
Someone once told me I have my priorities right. I iron something just before I wear it, then I don't have to do it twice. I sweep the floor when it needs it, not because it's a certain day of the week and I spend more time in my studio than I do in the rest of the house, that way only my studio gets untidy. They're probably right. My children have grown and left home and that DOES make a difference.
Posted by: robruhn | February 04, 2009 at 01:16 PM
Yep.. and having your studio smack bang in the middle of the house means you wander by a thousnd times a day and have a little poke at something.. or. it becoes storage for all the busys that happen...
Posted by: grrl+dog | February 06, 2009 at 09:57 AM
Oh boy, does that sound and feel sooo familiar! I hope tomorrow comes soon. Ux
Posted by: Ursula Clamer | February 06, 2009 at 08:59 PM
You've moved? I am so behind in what is happening in your life. I've just spent the past while getting caught up on your blog ~ oh yes, I know what you are talking about ~ where does the day go?? It was good to read about the art retreat. That must have been wonderful! You are looking great ~~
Posted by: kate | February 22, 2009 at 04:15 PM
When I first read this a while ago, I thought to myself I must comment. Evidently because I didn't write it on a list... it didn't get done!
My first thought was perhaps one that is in discord with your thoughts and those who have commented before me. The thought was - ah, but you accomplish much; it's your list that is wrong.
Sometimes we set ourselves tasks - I must clean the house. We tidy a little but run out of time. So in our mind, we didn't achieve much. This is why the list is wrong.
Recently I had a day where I felt quite overwhelmed by life. I got a piece of paper and wrote a list of things I wanted to do that day. There were 5 things on the list. I did all 5. Why? The things on the list were realistic for my situation. They mirrored what I could actually accomplish that day. Instead of clean the kitchen - my list said something like take out the garbage, un-pack and re-pack the dishwasher.
Perhaps the next time your pick up your kids and find yourself thinking that you haven't done much, where did the time go, consider when you let the kids in the door taking 2 minutes to grab a piece of paper and writing all the things you did do that day, no matter how small. If I'm right there will be plenty on the list.
If that is the case... I challenge you to re-consider your lists!
Posted by: Lysh | February 25, 2009 at 08:12 PM
Hi Megan
So lovely to meet you at Creative Soul retreat. Hopefully we can get together again in Sydney. You write really well as well. The thoughts in this post are so true. It doesn't matter how old the kids get, we still have just stuff to do. Still, it makes us value the time we do get for our srt.
Martina
Posted by: Martina Hart | March 24, 2009 at 12:34 PM
Just dropping in to say hi and hope things are going well ~ xo Deb
Posted by: Deb | April 02, 2009 at 02:19 AM
That is an amazing sculpture!
I do love lists!
Posted by: Michelle@MixedMediaArt | July 26, 2010 at 12:05 PM