Dah...

People always ask me how I get so much done in my life. Well, I work at it. I was writing in my daily journal wondering how come I was so tired this week. THEN I REMEMBERED my blog post about teaching 5 classes last week. DAH! Thus I made the connection between the two. When I was younger I could go non-stop working fulltime, raising a family mostly as a single parent and serving in my church. Now that I've passed my 60s and am into my 70s, I realize that I HAVE SLOWED DOWN. I can't keep up with the former pace I had years ago.

Here's an interesting experiment: write down all the activities you are engaged in and then evaluate them as far as your life goals go. It will be informative!

1. Homemaking-laundry, clean, cook, shop, pay bills, etc.
2. Self care-exercise, diet, personal hygiene, doctor appts, etc.
3. Church service-genealogy, visiting teaching, family history missionary, temple work, attending meetings, currently teaching a Write Your Life Story class for the Family History Center, and Indexing Italian birth records,etc.
4. Community Education-teaching classes and club participation:
   a. Camera Club-vice president-publicity work, teach classes
   b. Computer Club-occasionally take/teach classes
   c. Daughters of Utah Pioneers-attend a monthly meeting, gather pioneer histories
   d. Utah State Poetry Society-attend three monthly meetings, chair for Poetry in the Park and Youth Poetry Contest, teach occasionally, enter poetry contests, judge contests, attend regional conferences several times a year.
   e. Heritage Writer's Guild-local writers group, attend monthly meeting, advisor to officers
   f. AHA! Artful Healing Academy-teach monthly class on Write Your Life Story, take art classes
5. Online Activity-family history website, daily blog, Facebook-to keep in contact with family and friends, emails and Skype with family and friends. Marketing classes and books.
6. Writing-weekly column for Sr. Sampler, monthly column for Eureka Review, see #5, working on book: Discover Your Voice After Divorce.
7. Social Life-weekly date with hubby-mostly eating out, rare cultural events-lecture or concert, invite other couples out to dinner or over for a potluck, and church activities; Wed. play days with Caryn-shopping, lunch and museums, etc.
8. Vacations-hopefully to visit family in Northern Utah and other locations during the summer.

I try to LIMIT each day's activities to no more than 2-3 events, and sometimes I say NO to an extra activity or request when the day is already full or I am spread too thin. Now's that's an interesting expression! So as I look on my looonng list, I love the diversity that is there but I try to spend most mornings at home writing while my hubby works on his boat. Hopefully when it is finished we can go out boating TOGETHER.