Checking Boxes
Whenever I am tackling how to balance my work and personal to-dos, I always find myself writing lists to organize and track the gamut of items. These lists outline the tasks to achieve my overall goals. Often the tasks fall into three categories: communicating information; reaching milestones; adjusting schedules. As with most people, I managed to check off some boxes this week, though I still added more tasks. Accomplishing something as small as a phone call can produce even more lists. Yet the satisfaction of putting a check in a box (or crossing off an item in a list) can be encouraging to forge onward.
Sundays and Mondays have always created motivating positives for me, like autumn is to winter. There is something alluring about preparing for the work week, then running with whatever those preparations bring. I started with a phone call to my pal Trish (aka KnitterWithKids on Twitter/Instagram) about 1) the video podcast we have previously thought of creating for fun, 2) of the designs inspired by Tumble Leaf, and 3) our current sample knits for Juniper Moon Farm. Our call created a new list, which then started more communications, which gave me not only another key task to cross out, but also to schedule a trip to visit a dear mentor. The call also reminded me to check my calendar on my Findley Dappled project. Sure enough, it turned out I was off a week and need to catch up. As of now, I am right at the halfway mark.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BYAyMI6BaDp/
A primary personal goal I had for this week: To encourage my daughter, SlytherBun, to watch the solar eclipse with me. Besides showing her a graphic on how the sun would look during the eclipse, I played an episode from the kids show “Puffin Rock” in which the island’s animal inhabitants came together to watch a complete solar eclipse. I bookmarked NASA TV’s webpage and had it displayed for us through the morning. With about 30 minutes left to wait for the actual event, I put together a viewing box. Yet in the end, SlytherBun had no interest in going outside to see the eclipse. Her only reaction was to turn on the lights in our den because the room had darkened. I am still glad I did all that I did because I was able to see the sun’s shadow altered by the moon for myself.
The continuous personal goal for SlytherBun this summer was to prepare her for Pre-Kindergarten. I had been waking her earlier than she was used to, which had us hoping she would go to sleep at an earlier time (but she still does not, SIGH). I also brought her to various placed with other children. After getting her school supplies in order, I discovered my Namaste backpack would be a perfect match for her school’s specifications. Since she has visited her school’s playground this week, my plan this week is to wake her 2 hours before school starts so she can get used to getting ready so early. We then will have breakfast and I will drive us over to the school. My only worry is the expected rainstorms.
For this week’s goals, my largest one is to finish putting together a (now very belated) birthday package to my pal Sandy (aka Pumpahkin). I also have to send out some protein bars to a friend, to get my Juniper Moon Farm project back on my decided track to finish on time, to finalize the first two patterns for my Tumble Leaf fan-wear, and to ready myself for the long drive to southwest Virginia. In the wings I have my test knit for Laura Patterson to finish, and the Wonder Woman Wrap (Knit version) to begin with my Knitting Therapy group. Let’s see what this week brings. =:8