Ten Things To Do This Summer

I am generally not a list maker. Lists make me nervous because I feel like there will be a test at the end of the period and I am sure to fail for not having all the items ticked off of my list. I also don't like being tied down to a list because I feel claustrophobic when I am tied down to anything. Whether it is a mental or a physical restraint, it doesn't matter; if it ties me down, then I feel like I can't breathe.

I am trying to find balance in my life right now, however, so I decided to throw caution to the wind and make a list of goals for myself for the summer. Otherwise I will fritter away the summer doing PTA work and other junk that have nothing to do with making me better or helping my family to be more cohesive and healthy. I am already starting to feel a tightness in my chest just thinking of writing the sentences down, but here goes.

• Cook more things from scratch, using more fresh ingredients.

• Learn how to bake bread using wheat alternatives like spelt, rice flour, etc.

• Finish writing and editing my book that has been on the back burner for far too long.

• Bite the bullet and send said book to a book agent and/or publisher (well, several as I am sure the first one won't buy it).

• Pick up the phone more often and reach out to friends instead of letting them be the ones to always plan things.

• Enjoy the heck out of my kids.

• Join the City Rec Center so that I can continue to work out after my physical therapy time is up.

• Implement a realistic chore list for the kids so that the house is not always a wreck and I am not always picking up granola bar wrappers and drinking glasses and socks and STUFF.

• Make lots of cards so that I can have a stockpile for those busy times during the school year when I really don't have the time, but need a birthday card.

• Seek God's guidance through all of this.

I think ten is a good round number. All of these things are certainly doable. Notice I didn't say - declutter the house, or anything like that. Those kinds of housecleaning goals really cut off my oxygen. There once was a time when my kids were small that I had a house cleaning schedule. I adhered to that schedule like it was my bible. It almost stole my soul. I did it because it was what was best for my family at the time, but it was certainly not something that comes naturally to me. Oh, I still clean the house regularly, but I am not tied down to my rigid schedule any more. My motto is - Clean enough to be sanitary, messy enough to be fun. I gotta have fun and I gotta be able to breathe.

So, I have now written these things down. There they are in black and white. Now I have to do something about them. I am nervous already. I hope I pass the test.