Lists

By: Emily Eileen Moreshead

As a perfectionist, I’m always making lists. I can’t actually remember a time when I didn’t. As a child I’d list the books I read, the names of my friends, the litany of songs I recorded while sitting for hours on my bed by the radio to get them on cassette.

As an adult I do it on a more constant basis. My shopping list for example. What would I do without it? However it never ceases to amaze me that even with the list, I most often forget the one item I needed the most! I list a to-do pile at the office, a list of future story ideas I want to write and sometimes even list specific must-have scenes!

I think lists are a form of control for me. I need to feel like I’m managing my life and working to make it better even when that’s not always the case. Stress can sometimes be managed by my list-making as it allows me to check off the things I’ve completed and feel more refreshed. Sometimes.

Lists can also be helpful to help us remember what needs to be done and also can help us discover what we want to be done even if it’s not always a top priority. A bucket list comes to mind. It’s important to try to keep ourselves centered and in doing so, we become kinder to ourselves. We learn that while the craziness of the world cannot be changed, we matter. We matter to others but we matter to ourselves.

I’m waiting for the list that takes care of me when I need it. But I wonder…is that power already within me?

What do you think?

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