My Lists

I'm back! Does September feel like a big freight train coming down the tracks and there is nothing we can do to stop it? The last time I blogged was in January (sorry about that). In January, I was dreaming about many things that I was looking forward to over the summer.

• Family vacation to DisneyWorld (check)
• Billy Joel/Elton John Concert (check)
• The Producers at the Walnut (check)
• Phillies games (check - 2 down & 1 to go)
• Neighborhood BBQs (check)

I still have a few things left on my summer to do list, but my fall list is getting longer by the minute.

• Back to School shopping
• Back to School nights
• Soccer practice
• Soccer games
• Sunday School
• Hebrew School (new for us this year)
• High Holidays
• High School Reunion (20th in November)

It's time to pull the train into the station and get some perspective on this. So, I took out one of my favorite books: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff (and It's All Small Stuff). And I made a new list to deal with some of my stress

• Be aware of the snowball effect - meaning if I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of one thing and it turns into 5 more things - get a grip and go back to sleep.
• Live in the Present Moment - practice living in the here and now and less on worrying about the past and future
• Allow Myself to be Bored - WHAT! This one is the hardest for me. But the book says that if I allow myself to be bored - even for a short time - boredom will be replaced with peaceful feelings. Okay - I'll give it a shot! :)
• Cut Myself Some Slack - Okay, sounds good. I know I'm not perfect and not everything on my to do list will get done. The important things will be addressed and the rest can wait for another day.

If you have this book hidden away in a closet and you haven't picked it up in a while. Maybe it is a good time to do so - before you see the freight train coming your way.