Tuesday's Treasures - A new way to do your To-Do Lists

A little over 6 months ago, I began a new way to do my to-do list. You see I had just recently hosted the Texas Gathering, a weekend full of art and friendship.  I had planned and prepared for this event for months.  I anticipated a great weekend, I planned a great weekend and I prepared a great weekend…My anticipation, preparation and expectations were greatly surpassed by the love, laughter and friendship that we created that weekend, let alone some amazing art!!  However, no amount of planning, anticipating or “to-doing” would have predicted how much of a lull came the morning after everyone was gone…I had forgotten what the end feels like, when all the hard work, the gathering and the sharing are over…So when I began my morning with quiet time, I knew it would end with my “to-do” list which would involve putting away, taking down and cleaning up…ugh!!  So, at the top of my list, I wrote

To Do -Day 1

 And then the page sat blank…the lines were there, the endless tasks were there, but my pen would not write them there… I didn’t want business as usual, diving into chores, swimming upstream through the waters of daily life.   I began to think that my list needed to start differently- to reflect the day in which I was presently in, to honor the gathering of just days earlier, the feelings I wanted to capture… and from those thoughts began a new way to start my list…It went like this

-Breathe          in and out, slow, to catch up

-Be                   Grateful

-Enjoy              the moment

-Reflect           on the memories

-Smile              at the sun

-Hear               the water

-Savor              the coffee

-Let                  my heart be filled.

As I wrote those words, emotions came quite differently than the usual thoughts from my usual to-do list such as… “Oh today’s already taken. I’m already running behind with all the chores, errands, emails, calls,…”.  Instead of frantic, frazzled and finished – my day began with this…” Breathe (just saying it brings calm…try it, say it slowly, breathe in and then out), Be…Enjoy…Reflect…Smile…”. What a difference my day and my list looked and felt like.   Ever since that day in October, I have begun my lists this way and I can see where my heart lives in each day, my focus on first things and to know that there will always be enough time for what truly needs to get done…seeing others and savoring moments, delighting in today and letting go of yesterday, embracing the daily and encouraging the soul.  Lists have a funny way of finding out what is in our hearts and on our minds, what needs to get done and what can be left behind, what is our purpose and what is living life on purpose.  I hope that in sharing a few of my lists (feel free to make them yours), your “to-do’s” will let you catch your breath and begin to breathe with a new-found way to start you day. Here are Days 2-5 of my journal just as I wrote them. And just to let you know after my first things, the list began to look like this…make beds, get ready, empty dishwasher, etc…Just want to keep it real.  The fascinating thing was (and is) each time I went back to my list to cross off a completed task, I read and re-read my firsts list…how it changed my days! I hope it will change yours...

Until next time, let your list light your path to a breathing-easier, loving-deeper, gratefully-living “to-doing” kind of a day.  Let's savor the coffee and begin a new list...

To Do- Day 2

-Breathe          in and out, slowly, deeply, restfully

-Pray                faithfully, honestly

-Enjoy              this moment of renewal

-Embrace        this day

-Focus             on just today, the needs and cares of this day

-Give                Grace to others and to myself

To Do- Day 3

-Breathe          slowly, meditate

-Be                  thankful for all I have

-Live                in the present

-Do                  not worry about the future

-Be                  forgiving to one another

-Let                  go of what I can’t change

-See                 the beauty all around me

To Do- Day 4

-Breathe          take my time

-Remember     it doesn’t all have to get done today

-Find                time to create

-Be                   thankful for all that is around me

-Take               time to listen

-Know              that I am enough

To Do- Day 5

-Breathe          to find calm

-Be                  present to meet the needs of others

-Listen             to the words being spoken and, in the silence, too

-Believe           I am enough

-Pray                for my “to-do” list (the Lord can handle it)

-See                 the blessings in each day.      

© 2018 Chantal Johnson