To Dos Day

I went to bed Sunday night with a long list of things I HAD to do for Monday. Sometimes writing it all down the night before deters the occasional 3 a.m visitor that startles me awake for no apparent reason with a running list of everything I need to get done that day. It is not a welcome visitor as it rarely allows me to go back to sleep.

For whatever reason (the moon, the planets, the dog snoring), writing that list didn't keep the 3a.m. jolt awake visitor at bay. So I embraced it,  made tea and did some writing then dozed off on the couch until my children's alarms went off.

 I was dragging through the day with a running mind script like,"You should be getting more done. You shouldn't feel so tired. So what if your head hurts. You need to get this stuff done."

Jackson came into my office and plopped a tennis ball  at my feet. Happy for the distraction, we played some fetch and then we laid on the couch.  In the peacefulness of rubbing his belly, I got to thinking about my to do list and how I allowed that silly pile of words to enslave me rather than serve me.

I ended up taking a nap with my beloved pup.

To Do lists, while useful tools, can easily become another sneaky way to be mean to ourselves.

Last night when I wrote my To Do list, number one in capital letters read:

Be kind to Virginia