List Maker

Periodically when I need to put things into perspective I make a “5 Things I Love” list.

I love making lists. I'm a list maker. It makes me prioritize.

I have to decide what’s important, what’s not, and how exactly I’ll fit it in. Sometimes when you’re so busy, it can feel like my life’s a puzzle, and I’ve just got to make it work. I love crossing off as I go what it is I’ve accomplished, then going forward on and down my list. This sense of OCD peeps into other things, like organizing my closet or rearranging my earrings, but there’s nothing that feels as  accomplished as crossing off the last thing I need to buy a family member for Christmas, or even looking back on all of these “I Love” lists, and seeing how I’ve grown and changed or how I’ve stayed the same, and that’s fine too. It’s like a reflection of who I was then, and who I am now, and I love it.

I once made a list of 5 Things I Loved comprised of the names of my 5 siblings. I said it was in no particular order, but subconsciously who knows. When I was little I made lists to help me figure out what my schedule was for the next day, a list of what I would be wearing, laid out on the floor next to my bed, a list of classes I was in, a list of my friends, a list of my dreams, a list of rules for my room. I’m a list maker by nature.

And, hopefully, as I look back on all of these lists, I won't feel like I do right now. I'll feel like I have a purpose. There's life in the details. That's where it lives.