Monday, July 8, 2013

The Thrill of Normal

I have a three million and three things to do today.  Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration.  Only three million.  Okay, okay!  That's an exaggeration too. 

Troy has learned that if I start any number with three, as in three hundred, three thousand, or three million, that I'm totally exaggerating.  I really don't know why I use the number 3 before an obvious exaggeration.  I could have easily just said, "I have a million things to do today."  And you would have still known I was being overly dramatic. 

Let's just say, today's schedule is over the top full.

And I really didn't feel the need to write this post about my full schedule.  Although it seems as if that is exactly what I am doing.

I felt the need to write this post about the thrill of getting back into the normal routine.  

I spent June 29-July 3 with my family and friends in Oklahoma.  I drove 28 hours round trip to spend time with them.  It was a trip full of precious moments and sweet memories.  I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience. 

Then I came home.  To my amazing husband.  To my loyal dogs. 

And to the open wound of our kitchen (currently in the middle of an epic remodel.)  I came home to a kitchen without a counter, stove, or sink.  I came home to a house that is undergoing open heart surgery.  

Wow, I didn't intend to write about the kitchen remodel, either.  But it is forefront in my mind, so you understand, I'm sure.

This morning after breakfast, my mind was clogged with the three million things I needed to accomplish today, so I thought, "I need to get all of these things down in a list so that I can free my mind to focus on each task."  I'm a list maker.  I use the "To Do Today" list much like Dumbledore used the pensieve to "siphon the excess thoughts from one's mind" in the Harry Potter series.

As I opened the Notes application on my phone and started making my "To Do Today..." list, my heart swelled with anticipation.  This feels normal!

After a week of travel and in the midst of house-heart surgery, this mundane task of making a list feels refreshingly normal.

What a thrill!