Gotta Do List

Yesterday while driving home along Highway One my sweetheart and I enjoyed looking at the interesting countryside together. The radio in the ancient truck we were driving does not work so the entire 3 hour drive was filled with our words and thoughts--and maybe a little self made music.

We have always been drawn toward historic houses. We like to imagine the families that lived in those magnificent houses of yesteryear. Yesterday we also noticed some of the not so magnificent houses and the conversation flowed to why some houses sit with the front screen hanging crooked and others, maybe still in need of a coat of paint, sit proud and pretty.

Eventually the conversation steered itself to the topic of work ethic and laziness. All of us fit somewhere between the two. Some people have so much energy that they are always going, while some people can't seem to get up and do the simplest task such as put their dirty dish in the dishwasher.

Eventually the conversation turned to education. Some people lack skills to take care of their homes. Some people are highly educated but lack common sense. Most of us fit somewhere in the middle of the education ladder. Common sense says that if the door is broken we must figure out how to fix it, otherwise it will get worse.

These are lessons we teach our children every day. The ability to see a broken door and figure out how to fix it are skills learned in childhood. The desire not to break the door in the first place is also a skill learned in childhood. Knowing where to turn when a problem presents itself--the bank account to hire it done or a friend, class or book to learn the skills necessary to do it ourselves, these are problem solving skills learned in childhood as well.

A person that has common sense and is not lazy can figure out how to fix a problem when it presents itself. We all know that putting each dish in the dishwasher as it is dirtied keeps the kitchen tidy. We also know that if you do not take care of the dishes you soon have a giant mess to clean.

I am thankful for my parents who taught me to be a problem solver. Sometimes I am tired and do not put the dish in the dishwasher and soon that dish has multiplied, but I know how to get busy and take care of the problem before it gets out of control. I know where to go to educate myself when something arises that I don't know how to fix.

Another thing my parents taught me is that if you are going to do a job you should do it well.

So today's thought is; get up and get going. Something that has been bugging you for awhile deserves to be fixed or organized. Today is the day, make it happen. You will feel better when you can stand back and say--Job Well Done!!

Need to get going--There are a lot of things on my gotta do list.