A definite highlight: Running the Philadelphia Zoo 5k with my 15-year-old (who is almost 16 — that is happening very soon…). The weather was absolutely perfect, sunny and warm enough not to wear jackets (which we had brought…) but not hot. I wound up carrying both of our jackets through the race. But we did it — three loops – one inside the zoo, then one outside, then back in. As we raced through the zoo paths a pair of zebras was running in loops in their exhibit, getting into the spirit. A few monkeys and some of the llamas were staring at all of us. Definitely a new twist on the usual running spectators! We finished, got to Starbucks, and I still made it to church at 10. This is the upside of 5ks as a race length.

I went to the local library on Saturday and got a few coffee table type books on garden and design. These are good to get from the library as they are bulky and expensive! I spent a nice hour yesterday reading through one on Virginia Woolf’s garden. Apparently Leonard Woolf got quite into gardening at their Monk House and her diaries have various entries on what she saw out her writing studio window. It is now preserved and open to the public on occasion. Maybe another place to visit.

We celebrated Cinco de Mayo a little late by going out Sunday night with the two older boys for dinner at our local Mexican restaurant. We were able to sit outside, which is just always a treat. I am looking forward to many more meals outside this summer.

In the spirit of Tranquility by Tuesday Rule #8: Batch the little things, I also did what I called a “Stuffy clinic.” Some children’s special stuffed animals had various rips on the seams so I sat down and sewed four of them in one fell swoop. Good as new!

On a deeper level, though, this rule can be absolutely life-changing. Those of us who are managing complex family and personal situations, and those of us who don’t have an incredible amount of administrative support at work, can feel like the little things eat up our lives. In many cases the little things don’t take a ton of time (at least individually). It’s just that they are always options, nagging at us. Or we worry we’ll forget them so we keep thinking about them. Or we don’t want to do them so we procrastinate them. Or we do them during times when our better selves have decreed that we should be doing deep work (or relaxing!)

When there is a designated time for the little things, though, we both know they will get done and, since they are not always options, this reduces the guilt and the sense of being pulled in a million directions.

I’m currently writing this blog post as a break from my Friday Punch List. During the home renovation process I learned about “punch lists,” which are all-in lists of stuff the contractor still needs to take care of after the major work is done. During the week, I make a running list of all the little things I need to take care of, and then I attempt to plow through these things on Fridays.

So, this morning I have been a busy bee indeed. I filled out permission slips so my 15-year-old can go to a Science Olympiad competition. I paid the fee on an airline and chose seats so we could all sit together. I made a hair appointment. I MADE 5 ANNUAL PEDIATRICIAN APPOINTMENTS (shout out to the receptionist who worked with me to batch the kids into fewer days). I called my OB/GYN office to make my appointment but they have not called me back yet. I talked with the fridge repair guy about stopping by to check out a problem which we thought was solved, but was not. I made a stock purchase within my 401k (I made the annual deposit a while ago but I spread out my purchasing). I still need to purchase fencing equipment (a lot of fencing equipment…this could take a while). Plus a few other things.

Doing all these tasks at once isn’t exactly fun, but it is fun to check off many many things on a list. I feel very accomplished AND I don’t feel like all these things are hanging over my head all the time. There is a time for them…but if it’s not Friday morning, now is not that time.

In other news: Need some guidance and support while setting goals for 2023? Our Best of Both Worlds Patreon meet-up for December (12/15 at noon eastern) will feature Sarah’s annual goal-setting workshop. Last year I came up with a few random ones during this event, like learning to do make-up, and doing a free-writing project where I write about a character’s day in 365 chunks. I wound up doing both this year! Membership is $9/month, and there aren’t a whole lot of such workshops at this price point, so if this sounds good, please come join us. (You can cancel after the workshop of course…but I don’t think you’ll want to! We have some great discussions going in our forum.)

Photo: Batching lots of little flowers…creates lovely displays