I don't think I want to post all of my narcissitic thoughts about homeschool and other subjects on my family and kids blog so I guess I'll write it here and avoid spreading myself out on any more blogs than these two. I don't know if the subject fits with what i had in mind for this blog, but oh well. Here I am.
I will probably be long winded and overly expressive when it would do me good to practice some minimalism in blogging.
I have been working feverishly for a few weeks to prepare for the school year. This year I thought I would try harder to have everything prepared because I read a book called Commitment by Vaughn J Featherstone and in it he tells a story about a farmer who can't get anything done because he gets distracted by everything he needs to do. He starts by wanting to mow the grass but on his way to the mower he sees something that needs to be fixed, stops to fix it but needs tools and goes to find them, and so on all day long without getting anything done at all. SO the moral being that commitment is preparation with persistence. I have to be prepared in every way I can first and then persistently plow through, not being distracted and being prepared for what there is to do at hand.
So I have all of my books. I have all of the schedules and reading lists. I have a room to have the kids study in and all of their school materials. I have to go make photo copies of all of the papers they will do this year and then file them into notebooks. Then I will have pretty much all of the time sucking work done so far as I can do now. I went to the public library downtown a little while ago. WE did some reorganization in the office where the girls will do their focused work. Tonight I'll work on the copies, book printing, and buy groceries.
It's overwhelming knowing what I have in store for me, but the advice to stay in the moment will help me. The past and the future are imagination. Why let them affect my present physiology or mental well being? All I can do in this moment is make a choice about this blog, or not to blog and do something else. And I know where I'm going. I know what my goals are. I'm not "lost" in the moment, just fully experiencing the moment.
Now I'll go make dinner for my family (I have no idea what, because I do meal planning tomorrow) and then do the rest of the work I have for today, and though it is late, I will be getting a lot more done before I go to sleep. I may be in the moment, but that sense of urgency is there.
1 comments:
Goodness, Angela! I just discovered this other blog and boy you are amazing! I admire your mind. And so so admire your constant self-evaluation. I just keep on going on and don't check myself often enough. I fear you do it too much! But I could surely use Featherstones advice. Here I am blogging when I have other more pressing things to do online! I hate myself for being so distractable all the time! But then I do feel that at a SAHM there are so many distractions built into our job that we have to be flexible. The problem is I can't stop it when I need to! Thanks for the great thoughts. Love your book list, too. I got half way through the Goose Girl before my audio subscription expired. I need to get on it again. I started listening to Wicked. Have you read it? Did you enjoy it? Oh, to just get together and talk books with you . . . and feel so uneducated compared to you! : )
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