The To-Do List of a Chronically Organized Lady
And 2 happy links for you
Writing fiction is not my jam. And yet, I've decided again to try it.
At our writing group's day-retreat in February (2nd best day of the year!) I had nothing in mind to work on, so I picked up an old journal from 2022 and found my notes on a fancy-pants dinner party Jeff and I attended. The attendees at the dinner were memorable and a little mysterious. I started writing a fictional account of what "could have happened" that evening if we lived in my mind instead of in real life. (My mom's first question about my story, "Does someone die at your dinner party?" Of course!)
Too bad for me, my imagination sticks closely to the laws of physics and interpersonal cultural rules. Suffice to say Walt Disney would never have hired me in his art department. I may have been a great admin assistant, or maybe an engineer (with the right training.) But I'm not good at making up fantastical stories and obscure plot lines.
However, I'm good at setting a scene and my dinner-party story is plodding along slowly, if not fantasically. I learned many things from trying to write my first novel (for 3 years.) Maybe this story will get further along than that one did. I’m sitting down to write for fun in any case.
I came across these 2 wonderful things on the internet which you may have missed. One video and one humorous essay. Please enjoy them!
Reasons Your Password Was Rejected (McSweeney’s): funniest thing I’ve read in a long time
When my mother-in-law, Diana, passed away, 9 years ago this month, she left behind a small, hand-written To Do List on her desk. I still think about that list many times a week.
As adults, the things we have to do, and things we get to do for other people and for ourselves never, ever ends.
Does putting those things in writing make them seem harder, or less daunting?
Children don't have To Do Lists, and neither do many disorganized adults.
I constantly curate my list. I get to delete items often because I put many, many things on my list so I won't forget about them. Then when I come back and see them written down, I decide anew, Am I going to do this? Am I really?
This list seems long, but every item is, in some way, fun. It's true, buying plane tickets is stressful, but the joy of going to visit my sister and her grandkids outweighs the pain by a lot! Nothing here is very time-sensitive because those tasks go straight onto my calendar.
When I have something non-fun to do, I do it ASAP. And by ASAP, I mean as soon as I watch Lady Gaga sketches on SNL and pet the dogs for twenty minutes, then remember I'm hungry and go to the kitchen until it's time for tennis practice. So whoops! I didn't do the yucky task after all.
I may be organized, but I'm also human.
Happy (almost) spring! <3 Nonni
Thanks for the funny password article. I have noticed that many of my sites use my thumbprint now. Wish you were here as my flooring gets installed and I try to rearrange 4 rooms. Ugh!