Friday, February 26, 2016

thoughts on multi-tasking, prayer and blueberries



















I have a lot of writing deadlines right now.
A LOT means more than one.
I am more than a little nervous about it.
Because of the multi-tasking element.
I am a one task at a time kind of girl.
And multi-tasking is my nemesis.

I know this because once I start trying to multi-task
I lose my mind.
Really.

If I tell myself, "Go change your clothes."
I change my clothes.

But if I get crazy and tell myself,
"Go change your clothes and while you are at it, make your bed."
You will probably find me in the kitchen in the same clothes,
with my bed still unmade,
making a smoothie.

This is what happens when I multi-task.

One thought? I'm good.
Multiple thoughts? This ship is going down.

If I have too many things crowding the limited free space in my brain,
it starts misfiring messages.

Example of an initial multi-tasking thought.
I need to do the laundry and fill out permissions slips for the boys field trips.

I have just been set up for one of two scenarios:

Scenario #1: I end up trimming the rose bushes in the back yard.
Or
Scenario #2 I am on my hands and knees cleaning out the back seat of the car.

Because my brain does this in Scenario #1.
Beginning Thought: Get the laundry out of dryer.
Thought #2: Why are the pruning shears on top of the dryer?
Thought #3: I should go put the pruning shears in the shed.
The rose bush is next to the shed
Thought #4: OMYLORDTHEROSEBUSHISHIDEOUS. (oh my lord the rose bush is hideous)
Thought #5: I need to dead head the rosebush right now or I won't have beautiful roses this spring.
Thought #6: I love roses in spring.
Final Thought: Thank goodness I have these pruning shears.
And now instead of doing laundry, I am gardening...for a full hour.

Or my brain does this in Scenario #2
Beginning Thought: I need to sign those permission slips.
Thought #2: Why are there no pens in the house?
Thought #3: Why do we have so many Sharpies?
Thought #5: Why are the toenail clippers in the pen jar?
Thought #4: The children are all against me and are hiding the pens.
Thought #5: I bet there is a pen in the car.
I go outside and open the door to the car and see the chaos that reigns under the car seats.
Thought #6: We live in filth.
I go inside and grab wipes and the hand held vacuum.
Final Thought: I love the smell of cleaning wipes..
And now instead of signing permission slips,
I am vacuuming the floor mats and high on Clorox wipes.

And the laundry AND permission slips?
That ship has sailed, people.
It won't come back around for another 24 hours.

So I could use some prayer...and maybe some blueberries.

The prayer you can pray for me as I try to write more than 1 book?
That I won't set out to write about how God changes lives
and end up pruning the lemon tree.
You can understand how this could be a possibility.

And the blueberries?
I have heard they help with brain function.
Better send a truck full.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm going to eat some blueberries now...lest I prune the cherry tree today. ;)
haha!
love this!
xx

MCG said...

LOL! I had kept this window open on my laptop to read later, so now your post from a month ago has become my roses! Glad the distraction this time is your wonderful writing, Sue. Keep up the good work :-)