First Baptist Church of Herndon

What to do first?

Linda Soller | Aug 28, 2023

The school year has started, and I find myself with a long list of things to do. The problem is deciding what to do first. Some things simply come first, like getting out of bed in the morning, eventually. After that it can become blurry. More and more I’m finding that the best way to make the decision is to do nothing, if only briefly, to let your mind and body tell you what should come next.

The other day the weather was cooler and cloudier than usual with rain expected in the afternoon. I got out of bed. I had breakfast and took care of the usual things like putting out the bird feeder and cleaning up the breakfast dishes. Next, I stood at the window, doing nothing. A few minutes later my directions came to me. Get outside and sweep the deck, do some weeding, trim some bushes, and fill the bird bath before it rains. So, I did what I had told myself to do. About ninety minutes later I had sort of finished all of those tasks. Can you ever really finish yard work? Inside the house I knew immediately I needed to shower and wash nature out of my hair. I was on a roll. I paid bills and called to tell my mom I would stop by before lunch. Then I sat with a cup of tea and did nothing for about half an hour. My brief rest inspired me to move forward. I drove to town, mailed my bills, yes, I still write checks, and dropped by mom’s. We chatted, then I ran by my daughter’s house to drop off and pick up things. Next it was home for a late lunch and a load of laundry. Afterwards I sat and did nothing for about half an hour. This time while doing nothing I thought, why not save the leftovers for dinner tomorrow and make a fresh dinner for tonight, and so I did. The time between making dinner and eating it was looking wide open. You guessed it time for another quick do nothing break.

It had been a busy productive day, but it went well because I’ve found my secret to deciding what to do first! Just do nothing! (briefly)

Be the love in the world  : )   Linda