Earlier today, I wrote up a list of things I wanted to accomplish today. As I checked my list just now, I realized that, as of the moment I publish this blog post, I will have checked off only every other item, literally. Today, I accomplished only about half of the things I wanted to. Granted, this wasn't a complete list, and I accomplished many good things before even making the list, but there was still a lot left undone.
The reason I accomplished only half of what I wanted to do today has a lot to do with what I plan on blogging about tomorrow, when I continue blogging about Elder Oaks' talk about the Parable of the Sower. The short explanation is that I got distracted. I recently obtained a good book, and I spent most of the day reading it. Yet, remembering an iconic Elder Oaks talk, there are some things that are good, while there are others that are better. Reading the book was arguably a good thing, and it was what I wanted to do at the time, but now I wish I had done other, better, things instead.
My half-completed to-do list will roll over into tomorrow, which already has obligations of its own, and whatever I don't get done tomorrow will roll over to the next day, or the day after that. Thankfully, there are no time limits on many of these items, but they all need to get done, and most, if not all of them, could have been done today, had I not been stuck in a book. I feel like I hadn't used my time wisely - that I could have done better, and done more, if only I had had more focus.
But there's no use saying "if only," is there? All I can really do now is spend a portion of what remains of the evening crossing another item or two off the list, and then try to do better tomorrow. That's one comforting thing about the afterlife, one of the subjects of the book I read - there is always a tomorrow. And yet, we are warned that there will come a "night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed" (Alma 34:33). There are some things that just can't be put off forever. We would do well to do them today.
I still have a few things I need to do today, and I can start by publishing this blog post and getting back to work.
1 comment:
-I know what it's like to get caught in a book. They are wondrous and dangerous things! I have had them wake me up at night when I dearly needed sleep, distract me from chores, and monopolize my thoughts. Reading is good but also a good opportunity to wrestle with learning self-control.
-I don't think I EVER have a day when I can check off all or even most of the things on my To-Do list. Sometimes no matter that I worked diligently, long, and hard to get things done. It can be discouraging and cause some self-castigation. Which does not help. We must learn to prioritize so that we accomplish the most important and most urgent things. There are things I need to consciously put on my list which are not "work," but are important and needful. Rest and Refresh are necessary for my physical, emotional and spiritual health and well-being. If I wait until I have my work done, you know it won't happen. I need to give it a priority, but that's hard to do. Time with Family, especially Fun Time with Family is the same way. Sometimes even preparing for Primary and spiritual study feel the same - like I should do the more earthly things I need to do first. I always feel there is to much that I need to do and so much that I want to do.
-Of course, if we learn to be more fully receptive to and guided by the spirit, we would accomplish the most important things and have more peace about the rest.
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