Today, I sat down to a piping hot bowl of french onion soup, croutons floating on top, and ate my lunch alone. YES! I was in a crowded cafe in my neighborhood; a few familiar faces popped in and out, but no one I knew well enough to greet. I had a few documents that needed proofing and my laptop (of course!), but these sat to the side as I took the first steamy sips. Or maybe it was more like a slurp, since I was deliciously on my own, with nothing to do for 15 minutes but enjoy hot soup. What a privilege, for sure -- money to afford eating out, a job with a flexible schedule, and independence to own my lunch hour.
So after a minute of counting my incredible blessings, I let my mind wander... between slurps, that is, because after devouring the first layer of croutons, I found that melted cheese that makes french onion soup so decadent. But yet, back to my wandering. Which, I must admit, I'm terrible at. I'd much rather make an efficient list or pound out an email (easy to do with a sandwich; harder with soup, for sure) than for goodness sake, daydream. But a deep breath. Yes, the blessings, and now, the mind wandering can commence.
I would really feel BETTER if I made a list. And I have a really good new skinny Sharpie pen that I've been dying to use. So let me just jot down a few things I want to do this afternoon. And now that I think about it, I can jot right-handed and slurp left-handed. (slurp) OK, just one more quick post-it, and then I'll daydream a bit.
Phew, now let's embrace these free minutes and the joy of soup. Soup. What am I making for dinner tonight? Wait, I need to double-check calendars. Who is even home for dinner tonight? Google calendar check, stat! OK, my meeting was changed, let me just fix that right quick (insert <slurp emoji> here), and let's see, a quick shopping list, and I think I can make 3 dinners and a lunch with just these 5 purchases. Plus milk. Oh, and am I bringing snacks to that meeting, where's the Evite, that would be good to knock out, too. (slurp)
Sheesh, yes, thank goodness I'm letting my mind wander, I'm getting so much done! Now, let me just clear this soup away and get down to business.
Oh my goodness your post made me smile. I am terrible at relaxing as my mind wanders all over the place, just like yours did. My mother tells me to sit down and think about how warm my hands are and focus on that. But oh my gosh, then I need the fan! Really enjoyed this post.
ReplyDeleteSuch fun to read! You list makers just can't help yourselves. I know I'm married to one.
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