Doing what needs doing

These short, dark days have been taking their toll on me. I got home from work yesterday and I was bone-tired. You know that deep down feeling that every molecule in your body is weighed down and wrung out. It's an interesting feeling and I have to admit that I kind of like it because I'm more likely stop asking myself "what should I be doing?" and instead ask "what do I need?"

Martin stopping to smell the flowers on a recent urban hike

What should I be doing?

• unloading the dishwasher and folding the laundry
• writing a blog post
• responding to emails
• working on my projects

What do I need?

• time
• space
• quiet
• nourishment

January sunset up on Twinpeaks

It's hard for me to let go of "doing" things. I'm not one to put something off for later, which is definitely a learned behavior as my mother can attest to many late nights put in working on my school projects due the next day. And I'll admit that "Last-minute Lauryn" still rears her head from time to time, but for the most part, I've come to realize that taking care of something early on usually eliminates more work later on. Taking care of the breakfast dishes in the morning eliminates the sink full of dishes in the evening. Putting together that spreadsheet in the beginning means you spend five minutes a week updating it as opposed to wasting a full day's work on pulling the information together the day before the final report is due.

Graffiti mural near our apartment

So even though I was bone-tired last night, the dishwasher got emptied and the laundry got done. I knitted another inch on my dad's red & black cap. And still I managed to squirrel some time away to nourish myself by finishing that fantasy novel I started last Tuesday. My mom can also attest to the fact that I'm a voracious reader. 

And today I'm writing that blog post.