I have a book on my desk called 300 Writing Prompts. Whenever I have writer’s block (or just not a lot of time to blog on a Sunday night), this is my go-to book to get in the right frame of mind. Sometimes, I’ll open it to any page with the intention of committing to the first topic I see. Tonight, I opened the book to three different places and nothing inspired me to write anything at length. So I decided to post some short answers to my favorite prompts. Here we go:

• What is my favorite way to spend a lazy day? – Reading a book or reading through a ton of magazines while sitting on the couch in my pajamas all day drinking coffee and listening to music.
• Write about something that is presently in my life that is “worth it” – This one is easy. Spending time with my kids as much as they will let me because soon enough they will go off to college and parenthood as I know it to be will be over.
• When was the last time I got lost? – The first day I drove my brand new car to work through the narrow streets of Manayunk. It was January. There was fresh snow on the ground and cars parked along both sides of the streets. The road on my normal commute was closed and I was cursing the fact that I had to take a new and unfamiliar route and didn’t spend the extra money on a GPS.
• Three realistic goals I would like to achieve in my lifetime – Write a book, tour Italy and see my grandchildren grow up.
• What do I need right now? – Dinner already made for tomorrow night, a solid idea for the book I want to write, and money for my new kitchen.
• What do you think is the most important question in life? – Will this make me happy?
• What takes too long? – Laundry
• Which household chores do I hate doing and what do you like? – I like de-cluttering and reorganizing different areas in the house. I hate cleaning the bathrooms.
• What am I happy to finally check off my to-do list? – Today’s blog post. 🙂

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I’m kind of a Facebook fanatic. This will not come as a shock to people who know me pretty well. But, to those who don’t –it’s true. It is not something I’m proud of but I am coming to terms with my relationship with Facebook (FB for short. 🙂 ) I indulge in this – I guess you would call it a hobby — because I don’t indulge in much more than laundry and chocolate in my adult life. I don’t tweet or pin or use SnapChat. I barely know how to follow my own kids on Instagram although I know it is the thing I should probably get next. That is – if I want to waste more time. FB provides amazing articles without having to subscribe to more magazines. FB gives me access to insightful (and often hilarious) commentary by those whose opinions I admire and respect. FB offers trips down memory lane – like an old commercial or a list of fun facts about some of my favorite ’80s movies.  

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When I received my school report card, I always knew what to expect. My grades were typically A’s and B’s with the occasional hard earned C in math or science. And then there was the comments section. No matter what grade I was in, my teachers would always check off #2–conscientious and dependable. These two words followed me all through grade school and into middle school and high school. I was considered by my teachers as a reliable and responsible student. I had great follow through on assignments and could always be counted on to never miss a deadline. Being conscientious and dependable is a great thing for parents to see on their child’s report card, but it is a lot to live up to in real life. As an adult, I think some would say that I’m a conscientious and dependable employee, parent and spouse – but for me, perhaps this is to a fault. The last thing I ever want to do is let anyone down. And when I do, I feel anything but conscientious and dependable. I feel awful about it. I’ll never forget the time my best friend asked me to pick up her kids from school and bring them home so they wouldn’t have to walk home in the pouring rain. I guess I had a lot to do that particular day because when I got to school, I picked up my own kids and drove off, completely forgot about hers. She forgave me because that is what best friends do, but I’m still bothered by it many years later. To this day when she asks me to pick up her kids, I put a note on my steering wheel and a reminder in my calendar so I never forget them again. But I can’t do this for everything and everyone. These days, I’m trying to give myself a break. It is almost impossible to always be that kind of person to everyone in all facets of life–no matter how much I want to. When I’m working hard at my job, I’m forgetting something or someone at home. There are so many loose ends swimming around in my head, too many to-do’s on my list, and lots of projects whose status ranges from not yet started to not quite done. If I could go back in time to my teachers, I’d rather them put in the comment – “she tries her best.” That puts a whole different spin on things – don’t you think? So much less pressure on myself. Just think of all the anxiety I could let go of if trying my best was good enough and equally appreciated. In the end, I think a change in my own attitude is what will ultimately allow me to be kinder to myself. In my own mind, trying my best will now supersede conscientious and dependable. And if I cross something off my to-do list, that will be nice. And if I try to get something done, but it doesn’t go as planned, I will still pat myself on the back for trying.

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