I wish I would have thought of this.......

I found this blog the other day and it has caused me a great deal of reflection. I am all about lists especially to-do lists. After watching the trailer for the book I had a feeling of validation, there are others like myself stuck in the world of the LIST. My lists keep me accountable for my thoughts and for my tasks. My lists keep me on track. Sometimes, they are simple errand reminders like "pick up dry cleaning", sometimes they are things like "write endearing note to dear friend", or reminding me to "go to the studio and work out" or even sometimes reminding me to "eat" or "sleep". It isn't that I would forget to do these items but I can be easily distracted. I can be thrown off course. I like my lists neat and orderly, like my life. Everything has a place. The lists will get re-written once there are considerable cross-throughs and items typically stay on the list until they are accomplished. Now, I do make exception to this last rule. If the thought or task has been on the list for a while and I just can't commit then the item is removed until I can. For instance, "cleaning my closet" was on the list for a really long time. I could not bring myself to the threshold of the mirrored sliding doors until recently. In that case, the item will be removed and filed in my little brain until my hands or brain can wrap around the task and own it placing it back on paper. Who needs a red, blinking panic button on their list of things to do? My list isn't always tasks, as I mentioned. There are random thoughts or ideas on the paper. Sometimes there are just words I like and want to make a part of my vocabulary. I occasionally write my lists cryptically. The best part of the lists is that I have looked back over older lists and not been able to make sense of them. Isn't that odd? There are days that I live and die by my list. Days that are judged by the accomplishment off the list. There are days I can't find my list and I have to write a new one. But most importantly there are even days I don't follow my list and that is okay. I also make these extensive travel itinerary lists, not just packing lists like the ordinary fellow. I, in painful detail, jot down the specifics of a trip we are about to make - the who, the what, the where. I think it my way of remembering and savoring the details. Sasha Cagen, the author of the book, To-Do List- From Buying Milk To Finding a Soul Mate, What Our Lists Reveal About Us, sat with friends and they collectively wrote their five year list. They wrote the list for themselves and for each other. What would be on your list? What is on your list for today? What does that say about you?