I like a good list It provides structure and stability and a sense of accomplishment But I want to write it myself A good list keeps my thoughts in line not forgotten but  waiting their turn Other people's thoughts and ideas of how it should be how I should be cut into the line and disrupt the flow They say "it would be easier..." "it would be better..." "you would be better..." I cross them off undone They can write  on their own paper.

I recently had a rare opportunity to plan a pandemic-friendly date night with Adam, as well as extra time beforehand to scout locations (I think I was just as excited about the solitary planning time as I was the date night itself). The place I settled on was a hub of eco-friendly community, a cluster of restaurants and shops encircled by trails and art. I delightedly browsed the shops and chose a restaurant (dinner and dessert separately for maximum enjoyment, dinner being a place we'd both like and multiple dessert options to suit our varying tastes). While I waited for Adam to be available, and since I had found my location on my first stop (I had other back ups that I ended up not needing), I sipped a smoothie and journaled for a little while. The breeze blew and the cocao nibs crunched and the thoughts flowed easily from my pen. Once we met up, while sitting at a socially distanced outdoor table, he looked around at the other shops and the trees and the food and the enormous v...

When I was a kid, I viewed our humble mailbox as a near-magical portal which was capable of holding almost any delight. This thanks to a great aunt who encouraged my interest in biology with a years long Ranger Rick subscription, an uncle who ensured that birthday gifts (along with the fancy cards that were odd shapes or had stickers or coloring books) arrived precisely on the morning of my birthday, and, among many others, a friendly mailman named Mr Smith who would allow me to bypass postage by taking notes home to his daughter - my friend - if I waited by the mailbox to give them to him, and would also deliver replies. It wasn't limited to receiving, either - I sent thank you notes any time anyone gave me anything, managed several pen pals, and corresponded with friends who no longer lived nearby. There's just something so special about finding something in the mailbox with your name on it (that isn't a bill). Besides Ranger Rick , child me also got Nature Friend and Bir...

I don't generally see myself as an organized person, but if I compartmentalize my life, there are certain areas in which I do thrive on lists and plans and stability. For a long time I thought that the way I store (or don't store, as the case may be) unfinished projects or my questionable sense of object permanence or my delight in spontaneous plans negated the organized bits. After all, organized people are organized, aren't they? But perhaps not. Perhaps we're all efficient and capable in some areas, and not in others - because we are complex, individual humans. To be unorganized is not to be undisciplined, nor is it a moral issue. It is a state of being. And what works for me may not work for you (or you may be able to alter it to suit your needs) but I think the key point is that it works. So this month let's look at structure - mine, at least. Maybe we'll find common ground, or maybe we'll find new concepts - or maybe we'll laugh at the differences....