Writing Prompt

 I can't write unless I ignore EVERYTHING else. Which, is hard to do.

There's a laundry buzzer. Some paper on my desk that needs attention. My husband asked me a question that he can google just as well as I can. I have 10 open windows on two screens, two of which are email servers. I peeked at one - just one - and that created a To Do item. There are so many more lurking there.

One open tap is for the "word of the day" in ASL. Don't look! 

I have open tabs on my phone. Some are writing prompts but it's so easy to get distracted.

The writing prompt on Holidailies today was something about goals for the new year. Shit, I'm just trying to get through today!

[Editor's note: This was written at least a week ago. Since then, the Grinch suit has been washed, hung to dry, and put away for another year.]

Long Winter's Nap

I sat down with the intention of writing about the fact that I actually had time to sit down. I feel like I've  been running nonstop since October.

Which, is partially true. I started training for a half marathon and I'm up to 11-mile walks now. That takes up quite a lot of time.

But, what's with Christmas? And laundry? I am constantly doing laundry and I can't figure out where it comes from. There's only two of us! I think it's because our winter laundry is physically bigger than our summer laundry. (Jeans and sweatshirts are bigger than shorts and t-shirts.)

Looking at my journal (not to mention this blog), there are huge gaps when I must have been doing something but I didn't have the time to jot down what that was. And, if I don't write it down, I don't remember it. Which is to say, I don't remember what in the hell I've been doing for the last two months.

Ever since Thanksgiving, I've been baking cookies. I know this because the evidence is all around me - dozens and dozens of little red and green cookies. I have a list, too, of people to give them to but haven't gotten around to that yet. Still in production mode - pumping out three to six dozen cookies a day. I see that coming to an end real soon.

There have been birthdays, travel, gifts to buy, and dinners to plan. All of that on top of a regular life of carpool driving, cooking, cleaning, and so much hockey I could barf. (If that came off as cranky, it might have something to do with the Grinch onsie I am currently wearing.)

But, today was the last day of carpool driving before Winter Break - two weeks off. And, for a second, I felt like doing nothing. Just relaxing and enjoying being in my own space. Feeling like most of the preparations are behind me and there's nothing left to do but enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Yet, before I could make it to my desk - before the end of my cup of coffee - I thought of other lists to make, lists to finish, stuff that still needs to get done when all I want to do is take a nap. 

There'll be time for that. 

It was a short little break from a hectic schedule, that cup of coffee. And, I liked it.

Merry Christmas, y'all.

Bananas

Pretty good mileage

 

22 gallons of coffee works out to roughly one 8-ounce cup per day. That might be someone else's average but mine is closer to two cups per day or 44 gallons per year.

According to my phone, I walked 1,500 miles last year which only pencils to 34 mpg.

Still, that's about as good as my Honda got.