I’m out of town on
business this week.
I crossed a few
states lines, two time zones and a great big river before checking into a beautiful
boutique hotel. In route, I saw the St. Louis arch from afar and sent a photo to
Cody to update him on my travels. While doing so, I took a wrong exit and ended
up on a side street in East St. Louis. At the lonely end of a scrap yard. Where
they dump the bodies. I was white knuckled during my 12-minute detour of dread,
while visions of Dateline danced in my head.
On the way west, I
actually crossed two extra state lines than what my GPS mapped, having crossed
the same state line twice. It became painfully clear at mile 313: I don’t often travel solo in My Life, AC (after Caroline).
I packed seven days’
worth of clothes; I’ll be here three days. I packed 20 lbs. of jewelry that won’t
come out of the bag; I’ll wear the same turquoise set for the duration of the
trip. Three belts. Four pairs of shoes. Nail polish. Snacks. A book. At this
point I don’t know if I’m at the Wildwood Hotel or an Extended Stay America.
The business side of
my trip has been very good, but SEO goals and analytics are not why you’re here
today. I hope.
One of the speakers
said something very simple during our Tuesday morning session. I found it worth
writing down. As I sat to write this week (in my big, comfy king size bed
that I didn’t have to make this morning), I thought it worth sharing with you.
If you do three
things well every day, you will make progress in different areas of your life, daily.
Maybe it is cleaning
the bathroom (not just wiping the toothpaste off the spout).
Maybe it is diving
into your daily devotional and really reading the listed scripture, contemplating
the afterthought questions and praying about the message.
Maybe it is focusing
on communications and returning the two phone calls you’ve put off for some
time.
Maybe it is cleaning
up the barn in a way that you would be proud to show around a last-minute guest.
Maybe it is shutting
your office door and diving into the tough project for an hour straight, giving
it your undivided attention.
Maybe it is taking ten
minutes to actually sort through the stack on the kitchen island and put things
where they belong. (FYI: belts, fundraiser reminders, spare buttons and mail
don’t belong on the kitchen island).
Maybe it is going to visit parents, grandparents, or a forgotten friend.
Maybe it is balancing
your budget, taking a look at where your money is actually going.
Maybe it is reading
an extra book to your child before you tuck them in.
Maybe it is going on
a walk, run or skip (did you know it is impossible to skip and not smile?) to
clear your mind for a few minutes.
Maybe it is clearing the refrigerator of bad contents and wiping down the shelves that you’ve
not given thought to in a year.
Maybe it is paying close attention to yourself when those red flag arise - and addressing them appropriately.
Maybe it is sitting
down with a cookbook and creative thinking to map out your meals for
a week or two.
Maybe it is carefully
choosing your words to change direction of thought.
By paying enough
mind to
three simple things
throughout your day,
you’ll no longer be carelessly
going through the motions to
maintain;
you’ll be living with intent.
This time tomorrow I hope to be on the second floor of a farmhouse where I can hear a mousetrap go off in the basement.
Some gals just don't sleep well in boutique beds.
