Re-Thinking The To-Do List

As each fresh day arrives, I’m faced with countless to-dos. A long list of adult responsibilities start to punctuate the air. Clean this. Organize that. Go faster. Do more. The list of to-do’s for moms is never ending, and you know what? I’m done. I don’t want to start my day doing and expecting the impossible.

From now on, I’m ditching the to-do list for a to-don’t list…

I won’t oversleep and miss my quiet time when I sit with coffee, a journal and a pen near the window.

I won’t rush my girls through anything unless it’s an actual emergency.

I won’t say hurry up even once.

I won’t mindlessly scour Facebook for meaningless updates by people I hardly know.

I won’t lose my cool with anyone or let anyone ruin my day.

I won’t waste precious energy thinking negative thoughts about other human beings.

I won’t worry about the cleaning when I could be laying in the grass watching the birds fly through the sky or digging in the garden.

I won’t criticize my husband no matter how late he gets home or how many times he falls asleep on the couch.

I won’t devalue myself and my worth by comparing myself to others or worrying about what they think of me.

I won’t feel guilty for what I didn’t accomplish.

I won’t let a good book slip by unread.

I won’t say no to a friend when she asks me for a favor.

I won’t question what my child chooses — or doesn’t — choose to eat.

I won’t worry if my daughter goes without a coat.

I won’t fret over how long the bedtime routine stretches out each night this week.

I won’t take a second to think about how many veggies we didn’t eat this week.

I won’t be a clock-watcher keeping track of the agenda.

I won’t say no to a playful moment because those are the best ones of all.

I won’t strive for perfection…

And I won’t expect others to strive for perfection, either.

If I’m lucky, I might actually cross everything off of a list, once and for all.

Here goes.