HEALTH & HELP

Emotional Health

So Little Time
Rachel Crumpler

When all my days are swallowed up in planned activities that contain no joy, I realize it’s time to throw all of my to-do lists into the trash.

To-Do List: Saturday

Laundry

Read Greenberg for Monday’s class

Email Tiffany about travel plans

Write meditation for Devo’Zine

      I am queen of the to-do list. I have lists for weekly chores, lists for school work, lists for groceries to buy, lists for phone calls to make, and sometimes lists of things I want to do.
      The more stress I feel, the more detailed and organized my lists become. At the beginning of the semester, my lists are quickly jotted in the margins of a notebook. By the end of the semester, they are neatly typed, outlining my activities for every hour of the day. I’m really quite compulsive.
      Lists give me a sense of control over my life. If I write down everything I need to do, I can accomplish it all -- at least that’s how it works in my head.

Throwing Away the Lists
Eventually, I get to a point, near the end of a semester, when lists take over my life. I become incapable of focusing on what I am currently doing. All I can see are my reminders of what still needs to get done. I realize that I need to do some things that are fun, so I add them to my list. Then, of course, they are no longer fun; they are simply a few more things to do on an already long list. At that point, when all my days are swallowed up in planned activities that contain no joy, I realize it’s time to throw the lists -- all of them -- into the trash.
      I remind myself how lucky I am. I am lucky to be in graduate school, reading books I want to read and writing papers about art, which I love. I am grateful to have a job as a tutor, to help people learn how to read and to go home feeling good about myself. I thank God for good friends who care about me and who make me laugh even when I’m stressed.
      Why should I treat my friends, my job, and my schoolwork as chores? Why should I drag my feet and dread the deadlines when I could simply enjoy the life that I have chosen and the gifts that God has given me?
      Throwing away my lists is hard to do. Breaking free from my mapped-out mental state is even harder. But it’s worth trying. It’s worth completely immersing myself in my homework or running around town with my friends without a thought for what I have to do next. It’s worth trying to enjoy life because life is a celebration!

Dig Deeper
Make a to-do list for the week; then throw it away. Set aside three hours this weekend to do something you want to do. Enjoy every second of it. Thank God for your life.

For some Simple Solutions for getting things done, visit www.care2.com/channels/solutions/home/1605?

Rachel Crumpler is a graduate student in art history, theory, and criticism at Stony Brook University. She loves making lists and eating ice cream -- with sprinkles, of course!

-- from Devo'Zine (September/October 2006). Copyright © 2006 by Upper Room Ministries. All rights reserved.

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