To Do Lists and the Weather

[mallorys_camera]

As recently as Saturday, it was snowing, 20 degrees with a cold north wind at your back no matter which way you were walking. Puddles all pools of ice shards.

Then suddenly, in a matter of two days, spring happened. 70 degrees by early afternoon. The robins are back. We’re on to our first iteration of flowers – crocuses, as it happens. My never reliable memory sez that forsythia should be the first flowers out, but no matter.

I think the weather pundits are all unanimous in saying this was the warmest winter in the Northeast since they started keeping records. The Jet Stream fought the cold Arctic air and the Jet Stream won.

Something the inestimable katestine popped off in a quick comment to these pages has really stuck in my mind: I am absolutely paralyzed because there are so many open “do loops,” read “so much uncertainty,” in my life. Got to start closing those do loops. I have been saving for the Great Escape but I have to start doing more. I have to be proactive. I have to make sure that when this horrible period of my life ends, it ends.

Part of that means filing the bankruptcy stuff which has been hanging over me like a black cloud since 2009.

Part of that means dealing with the car which I’d like to be able to drive more than 20 mile distances.

Part of that means dealing with my teeth so I’m not afraid to smile. I used to have a really lovely smile.

Part of that means dealing with the To Do list – which, believe it or not, except for items relating specifically to Robin and animal care have been the same items for the past three months.

Part of that means getting in the habit of writing regularly here again. It’s a warmup so I can write other places.

I have been forcing myself to ride my bicycle every day. I’m really out of shape and can barely make it up the hill at the junction of Johnson and Yellow Barn. But that’s five miles.

Comments

The last isn't totally self-serving :)

[katestine.livejournal.com]

What is the first step in filing for bankruptcy?

What is the first step in dealing with the car?

What is the first step in dealing with your teeth?

What is your writing schedule?

Yaay on the bike riding.

Re: The last isn't totally self-serving :)

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

Break it down into algorithms! :-)

Yeah, that's probably the most workable solution.

[nodressrehersal.livejournal.com]

Sometimes when you look at the whole, the pile of shit to be dealt with can be totally overwhelming. But when you break it down into parts like you have, and then further break the parts down into pieces like the comment from katestine, things become doable.

Another lj friend posted about public goal posts (not the football kind) in lj, where you state your goal and then post on your progress each week. Maybe something like that would kill a bunch of birds with one proverbial stone - forward momentum, community support, AND writing.

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I'm ready to present how out-of-control my life is to Internet strangers.

Possibly to a small group of sister WWF enthusiasts though. :-)

[nodressrehersal.livejournal.com]

Well there ya go - create a custom "friends" group of the people you'd be willing to have see those particular posts and let the goal-posting begin!

(I should be doing this myself - I'm a master procrastinator and don't always hold myself accountable to a timetable with goals)