what’s on YOUR list?
Have you ever found that you might have bitten off more than you can chew?
The merry month of May found me embroiled in a remodeling project!
Having been a Realtor for so many years, I know better than to wait until I want to sell the house before doing all those deferred maintenance projects, don’t I?
It always amazed me when homeowners would finally redo the kitchen or fix up the deck only when they wanted to sell. They’d do for the next owners what they had always wanted to do for themselves!
Anyway, I’m not planning on selling my home for some time yet, but I want to enjoy the remodeled bathroom and newly painted 
bedrooms and updated landscaping, not watch someone else reap the benefits of my wish list!
So among other tasks, my sister and I set ourselves to “help” the contractor by doing the painting ourselves, while letting him do the “hard” work.
(And it was a big moment when we finally finished the “prep work” and could actually paint!)
Why do we put our wishes and desires last? Why do we postpone our enjoyment? Why is it
- we say we want to do something, but don’t really do anything to do it?
- we say we want to have something but don’t do anything to get it?
Our to do lists often seem to contain items that get moved from list to list: from today’s to next week’s or next month’s list.
We will often let ourselves do the boring items, the small items, the oh-well-we-might-as-well-get-this-one-checked-off items.
Our wish lists, though, often seem to be our fantasy lists. How long did I have that Japanese Maple tree on my list? (It’s checked off now!)
Yet, in the time we have been given to live, we really should allow ourselves to live
- fully,
- richly, and
- contentedly!
Life is too short not to enjoy what we can.
Life is also too long not to enjoy what we can!
Is there something that would bring you joy?
Is there something that would bring you satisfaction?
Is there something you’ve been longing to do but just haven’t done?
If not now, then when?
5 Comments
Pat,
This is great! Since my husband’s bout with esophageal cancer last year, we decided to do a bunch of traveling…been on two cruises this year and big one planned for 2017. We’re currently in Canada on a 3 week road trip across America and back across Canada. These trips have been on our bucket list.
You are right not to put it off. Good decision. What was your color?
Great message!
Wesley came into the kitchen the other day and said, “When I get older, can I basically do what I want to?” (This made me smile, as when he starts conversations this way, I know I’m in for some of his unique wisdom). He went on to talk about how he’s noticed that so many people have “black and white lives”, all work and no enjoyment. Pay bills, but no life experiences. No real learning and no real happiness or time with people they love. I told him that while there is a need for balance in order to take care of self and others, that my only hope for him in life is that he live life with ALL its colors!
Theresa, Wesley is one intuitive kid! Love his thinking!