Lily brushing the window.
30 November 2007
I have mentioned before that I am the “crazy list lady,” and I finally figured out why I list so much yesterday. I have been wanting to list since Friday, and Matt, being the kind soul that he is, tolerates my habit not only with equanimity but with actual encouragement. You see, since he is my husband and life partner, he has to be actively involved in my listing for my lists to be useful.
I don’t list all the books in my house or the different kinds of weeds we have in the garden. I list my life. And my life is Matt’s life, and Matt’s life is my life, so I drag him in deep with my lists… and he happily goes along because he knows it’s a bizarre need of mine.
I used to hide my listing habit from people because I thought they would think I was really weird. But lately I’ve been embracing this intrinsic habit of mine. I’ve been listing things since I was a child — organizing all the thoughts and ideas in my head and sometimes the physical stuff in my life. But I mostly list ideas and desires.
Recently, two lists have popped out as being currently the most useful: what do we want to have accomplished in one year, and what should we be doing right now to achieve those year-long goals. (Actually, the debt reduction plan, which could be considered a list, has also been extremely useful.)
While making these lists with Matt, I realized why I do this: it helps me stay focused. When I start feeling unfocused and lost, I make a list. If I still feel unfocused and lost, I either refine the list or try a different list. Through listing my life, I eventually gain focus and a sense of direction.
And it’s fun. 🙂
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