Class Dismissed

Sometimes you have to fight a battle more than once to win it.

And sometimes you have to be taught a lesson more than once to learn it.

Sometime you have to be beaten over the head with that lesson multiple times. And then when you finally think you've figured it out, life teaches you again, just for good measure.

There are things I've managed to learn the first time around. Well..... for the honest truth, at the moment I can't think of anything.

I can certainly think of some things that took me a few swings at bat to figure out.

"Don't date the guys who treat you like crap"...took a few times to see that one clearly.

"Lock you car doors only if you HAVE the keys"..... took a few more times to get that one through my head. As a bonus to this lesson I also learned "how to break in to a Ford Probe from any angle".

Which also leads me to "no running out of you apartment building without your keys". Again this has a second lesson attached called "be nice to you landlord so she'll let you back in".

Driving in excess of the posted limit, took me more than a few tickets. As well as a few dollars, some lessons are better taught through your wallet.

The lesson I was re- taught again this evening-"don't let the dog off leash and expect him to come back". I've been learning this lesson for a good six months here.

Sometimes, even as I reach my hand down to un-clip the leash a little voice in the back of my head tells me "This seems bad".

Yet I still do it.

Then I feel the exact same string of emotions.

Astonishment, first at the fact that he has run away, then at the fact that I didn't see it coming.

Annoyance, first at the dog for being stupid, then at myself for being the actual stupid one.

Remorse, this one only gets worse as I continue on to Panic and then Dread.

Both of these emotions can be magnified when you add in a good imagination of what could happen and how it will be all my stupid fault.

All of these are followed by Relief, when I finally have him back in my not so capable custody.

This last emotion somehow has that magical ability to wipe out your memory of every other emotion that has preceded it... that is until the next time I manage to call class to order.

Accomplished Something

"Today, I accomplished something."

That is a sentence you want to be able to breath at the end of every day...

I used to have a theory, that working out in the morning was really the best way to do it, because then even if you get halfway through the rest of the day, and you've done nothing else... well at least you can check that workout off your list.

It's a momentum theory I guess.. that if you start your day by accomplishing something, then you will continue to accomplish things all day long.

Or hell if you don't complete even one single solitary other task, then at least at the end of the day you can still state that you've accomplished SOMETHING.


The important part of this phrase is the word "something"... to accomplish something... not everything, I've long since given up on that crazy idea.

Actually it sort of plays into another theory that I have... there is absolutely no way in hell you will ever cross absolutely everything off of your "list of things to do today".

Sort of a Murphy's law that there will always be 33% of the list un-crossed at the end of the day... so I like to make my lists very long, so that if I do manage to get that other 66% done, I have actually put in a full days work.

I add things to the list like "organize the spice rack", and "defrost the freezer", "clean toilet with toothbrush" (um, not my own toothbrush... depending on the relationship it could be the boyfriends toothbrush... but that's not the point, the point is, I add things to the list that I know I will never ever even attempt to do unless hell freezes over).

By adding these irrational things to the list, it actually forces you to do all the other tasks... normally you would not feel very determined to cross "fold laundry" off your list. In fact, should it be the last thing on your list, you may not even bother to do it at all(as you feel you've done enough by crossing everything else off).

Once you stick it on a list that includes "re-tar roof" "organize sock drawer" and "detail brass collection", you are surely going to choose laundry folding as your next task... and should you never get as far as organizing your sock drawer then no one will fault you.

So my advice of the day is, accomplish something, in fact, accomplish a lot of things, just don't try and make one of those accomplishments "cross off the entire list". Instead, try to make the longest list possible, and that way when you've only managed to cross off 107 of the 138 things on the list, you will be too exhausted to give a damn.