As this past summer began I slipped into an idyllic dream world where I would have gobs of time to complete “projects” that were not possible during the school year because I would not be flitting about driving my daughter around, going to meetings and other volunteer activities, and I can’t remember what else I do in the school year, but it takes a lot of time. Here is my list and my progress as of today:

The List                                                                                      Progress to date

Where did the 3 months go? There was a trip to Guatemala and I did fulfill a promise to myself of actually putting on my swimsuit and reading by a pool a few times. Those things account for precisely 1 week and a few hours. What was I doing all day??? I know women who can clean out a closet before breakfast, create something Pinterest-worthy before lunch, take their kids on a learning experience in the afternoon, then make a nutritious dinner for their family, have quality time with their husbands and go to bed with a magazine-spread worthy house. They also fit in exercise, running a small business, and a daily quiet time of Bible study and prayer. I know all this because I read Facebook. Just because I have combined the posts of 40 women over 6 weeks into one perfect Proverbs 31 woman does not mean she does not exist! I know she does and I must compare myself to her.

I keep thinking I must have accomplished SOMETHING all summer.

So, at the risk of being braggy, here is what I have come up with as my accomplishments for the past 3 (actually more like 4) months:

Better Dinners For My family:

I stink at meal planning. I just do. When I try, I end up buying a bunch of stuff that goes bad before I make it. So, I cheated. I ordered one of those meal services that sends a box every week with all of the ingredients and recipes to make 2 meals. It is so MUCH FUN! My family is raving on the awesome food and they are now eating 2 yummy, healthy, and low-calorie meals a week. I like cooking again and I have even decided I don’t hate chopping vegetables.

Quitting:

 Sometimes you have to quit something to move ahead and accomplish better things. I was volunteering in a lousy situation and I finally admitted I was beating my head against the wall and eliminated it from my life. I cannot tell you how relieved and at peace I have been since then. None of us needs to spend time allowing others to make us miserable.

A New House for My Parents:

In a moment of insanity, my parents selected a house on the Internet in my city, drove here and bought it, without looking at even one other house. I am so grateful for this very unselfish act. They are leaving the state in which they were born, their church of 43 years, and their house of 32 years to come be close to me. I spent many days with them this summer working on arrangements for the new house and dealing with contractors. The new house is still in a state of disarray – gutted kitchen and laundry room and no flooring in several rooms, but I am calling (and annoying) the kitchen project manager every day to speed the project along, so it will be ready for them when “moving day” comes in early November. This project has been a delightful use of my time.

In my moments of clear-headedness, I know I have many things I can and do accomplish. We all do. BUT, it is so easy to spend more time worrying about what we are not accomplishing than what we are accomplishing. I hope you will join me in deciding to stop that!! I am challenging myself to put the projects that bless others at the top of my list and to worry less about things like whether the laundry room is painted.