The first shall be first! No, last! No, middle!!!!!!

I don’t know about you, but I have too many things that need to be done “first” each day.

Now that John is retired, he just likes to take the day as it comes, but I want to set goals, make a plan and see clearly where I am headed on any given day. Even the little things like, do we go for a walk or ride after breakfast, or shall we write for awhile and then go out, or go out for coffee and then do errands etc. I want to know if this is an at home day, or a running around day? John just says, “whatever” and just wants to go with the flow. You can see that we have the potential to drive each other crazy, but rather than that, we balance each other. He helps me venture outside the lines and throw the plans out the window from time to time, and I help him keep to a schedule and be ready for things before the last minute.

I believe that the day starts the evening before, not in the morning. Yes, what we do in the evening, sets the tone for the next day. What we fill our minds with, what we eat, what interactions we have with other people etc, all lay the foundation for the next day, so kind attention to the evening before is what I should do first each day.

Ok, sounds good to me. Whew! At least I know what to do first. Now, what is second?

I have read a lot of books on creativity and writing discipline during the past year, and have a list of all the things I should do first. Trouble is, you can only do one thing first and it is hard to pick one of the many. First thing for sure is meditation or prayer. Start with 20 minutes of nothing, clear your mind and get your head on straight before you rush off into the day. That sounds like a good place to start. Hmmm? What about morning pages, start with 3 longhand pages of writing to open up those creative channels. No, start with exercise, get the blood flowing and the brain awake and then start your day. No, reading should be first; no, kick start the brain with music, words, news, breakfast, coffee, email, journaling, phone calls, housework, - yikes!!!! I just have too many firsts and by the time I get through the list of what I need to do “first” it is noon and time for lunch! Help.

Today is a perfect example. It is 12:10pm and I am just now getting to the “second” thing on my list, which was really the “first” I had planned for this morning. Well maybe the fourth or fifth!! See what I mean, what do I want/need to do first? Life keeps getting in the way of my well-laid plans too. Sheesh! Oh well, tomorrow is another day and I might get first things done first then. For now, the first shall be twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth will be lunch followed by a ride along the bike trails. The air is cold but clear and calm so it is another perfect day for biking.

Actually, the first thing that I really need to do each day is enjoy the moment I am in and experience all the glorious gifts it has to offer. Sounds good to me. Hope you enjoy getting to your "first" thing "first" today and enjoy the moment you are in. Have a wonderful day.