To-Do

When a friend asked me what I had planned for today (Sunday), I gave her the following list:

2 Zoom lectures

Review my bills  

Prepare for an interview I am writing for my temple newsletter

Write my blog post

Polish my “COVID memoir, Part II,” to submit for publication to a local paper

Make enough progress reading a novel by a Norwegian writer that is the topic of a book blub on Wednesday so that I can participate intelligently in the discussion. (The book club is sponsored by the Clark Art Institute in conjunction with their exhibit of the Norwegian artist, Nikolai Astrup.)

The more I looked at the list the more resentful I became. The zoom lectures were from an organization I admire and whose programs I always find intellectually stimulating, but two lectures on a Sunday felt intrusive.

Paying bills is easy, since I have automated almost everything, but it’s never fun.

I enjoy learning about the people I interview, but this subject has failed to commit to a day/date.

I love writing my blog, but lately I’ve been short of ideas that interest me.

The memoir only needs editing (it’s only a few hundred words), and the first part was published in June, but of course I am afraid this follow-up will be rejected.

The novel is beautifully written, but slow going.

What I really wanted to do was relax with a good “whodunit.”

One of my friends divides her to-do list into 1) must do (like pay bills), 2) should do, and 3) want to do. Her goal, especially in retirement, is to spend most of her time on #3.

For me, the lines often blur. I serve on the boards of several organizations because I believe strongly in their mission. I “want” to do this, the “should” comes from my internal sense of obligation. But then specific tasks become “musts.”   I “want” to write, but deadlines are “musts.”

Nothing on my list today (other than the bills) was forced upon me. And if I ignored the list and read the detective novel, the only real consequence would be a longer list tomorrow.

Good news: the first Zoom lecture was excellent and gave me a great idea for a future blog post. The bills are in order and the interview questions written. The COVID essay is done. I am ready to sit in my favorite chair and read the Norwegian novel, or perhaps the whodunit.