I used to operate as if everything had the same importance. Buying groceries on Wednesday before the coupons expired.. Picking up the chickens from Snipes Farm before they close. (Actually I need to do that next so they have room in the freezer for their Thanksgiving turkeys.) Calling my ailing father. Cooking dinner for my husband. Attending a funeral. Going to a yoga class. Sending a get-well card. Applying for a passport renewal. Lunching with a friend in need. I would drive myself crazy getting trying to get it all done in one day. Staying up til 2 a.m. attempting to complete “The List.” Turning down friends in need because items still remained uncrossed on The List.

If items remained uncrossed on The List at the end of the week, I counted myself a failure. Never mind I’d added six or eight more items to the list as the week trudged on. What a mean thing to do to myself.

But everything doesn’t have the same importance. The List doesn’t have to rule my life. I am learning to ask my soul and heart: What are the most important things to do today? And learning to listen to the answer.