Successful Day

It's one of those days today, those kinds of days with lots of things to do, mostly little things. It's one of those kinds of days where I will feel highly productive by the end of it, where I will feel like I actually accomplished something. Of course it will be tiring. Of course it will take a lot out of me. Of course there is a good chance I won't actually get all the little things done; it's almost a certainty. I don't mind. I like the idea that I might, just once in a while, feel like I can get things done.

I'm already finished some of my tasks. Home care has been here for my exercises; the laundry I folded last night has been put away. Next I will work on putting the shrink caps on the wine we bottled yesterday. After that, I'll do another load of laundry. And at the end of the day, I will make dinner for Cheryl, during which we will consume on of my new bottles of Christmas wine.

There are still other things on the list. I need to go to the Post Office and pick up some parcels delivered here for Mary. I need to do some grocery shopping to be ready for Mom and Ray when they arrive on Thursday. I need to get over to a mall across town and pick up a couple more Christmas gifts, which I will then need to wrap.

The funny thing is that I say "I need". I don't really need to do any of these things. I could make a call to someone and ask for help. Dion would most likely get the parcels for me. I know if I said even the slightest thing to Cheryl about dinner, she would pick something up instead of me cooking. The shopping can, and will wait, perhaps even until Mom and Ray get here, or even until the kids all arrive. There is no urgency in this.

What it's really all about is what "I want". I want to do these things. I like to feel that accomplishment, that feeling of having done something from start to finish, of starting from disorganization and ending with order. I want the fun of picking up packages. I want the excitement of finding another perfect gift. I want the pleasure of picking out my own groceries, smelling the fruit, feeling the tomatoes, looking for just the right cut of meat. I want to feel like I am still capable.

That's why today will be, and already is, a good day. No matter how it goes from here, I have already done a lot; I've already accomplished. Even if I do only one more thing in my day, it will be a success. I like that idea.