#121: Don't Let Your To-Do Lists Take Over

Don't let your to-do lists take away from the reason we gather this week, and a few ways to keep your sanity.

Thanksgiving is coming…the day we gather at the table with family, of both nurture and nature, and friends old and new to celebrate for what and whom we are thankful. As we plan and ready our gatherings it is so easy to go down the rabbit hole of recipes, cleaning, shopping, cooking, baking, travel, and such. Planning and prepping can be a lot and, even before the turkey goes into the oven, we may find ourselves overwhelmed and breathless wondering how everything on our to-do lists, that seem to grow exponentially, will ever get done before we tick off the first task. The joyfulness of the day can easily be replaced by anxious “just let me get through this” moments.

So you don’t end up like this, take some time to relax. Diorama by Frances Glessner Lee (1878–1962).

So let’s give ourselves some breathing room. Kick your feet up when you can. Keep yourself well hydrated with water. Treat yourself to a movie or massage. Cuddle up with a book. Go for a walk. Take a bike ride. Watch the sunrise or sunset. Enjoy a glass of wine, an old-fashioned, or martini. Remember to laugh. You’ll feel all the more renewed and ready to dive in again when you start up.

Everything will get done in some form or another, even if not quite exactly how you may have envisioned. More important than polished crystal and silver is spending precious time with loved ones.

---

If you are on Pinterest, you might enjoy this little Thanksgiving story I created.

---

Nov 22: Substack Pie Chat for Paid Subscribers 9-11AM Pacific Time

I’ll be doing my first ever Substack chat tomorrow. Share what you will be baking, bring your pie questions and I’ll do my best to type in my answers for you. This event will be using the new Substack Chat which is a brand new feature in the Substack App for phones. As I understand, at this time the chat feature in the App is only available for iOS.