Going cold turkey is not working. List-making is a multi-tasker’s charm, and its results admired by those a safe distance from what it takes to pull off. Not admired so much by those closer. As one teacher/author said, “My husband wants to know where that centered, soothing voice is that I use in my books?” Was he noting her high-shrilled calls for help around the house, impatience with roadblocks at work?
How to ease out of the tyrannical clutches of my To-Do list?
A canvas bag loaned to a college student friend was returned recently during her whirlwind visit. When I later noticed there was something in the bag, I found a copy of Mindful Living with Awareness and Compassion. Gift? Mistake? I didn’t ask, but now that I’ve read it, don’t have to. It is a gift. It describes one way out of my list-making obsession in the column A Mindful Calendar by Janice Marturano. The writer suggests we pay attention to sensations in our bodies while looking at a single calendar page from our schedule. If we’re able to notice how our bodies are reacting with tension, we start asking questions.
I’ll substitute list for calendar and concentrate on sensation in my jaw while asking
- is this what I want to do
- what are the consequences of not doing this
- will it bring joy
- does it square with my beliefs about how to live
The questions will change over time. I’ll make mindful choices. The list will shrink. One item is not a list, and surely I can remember one thing I want to do.
dirtroaddocs 
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