Top 10 Report Card

Here we are, one week since my Top 10 List and here is what I have discovered:

Having even just 5 things to commit to for the week, especially a week as busy as this one was plain old over-achieving for me at this stage of life! At least I've come to this conclusion with a healthy dose of humor.

I did make progress on all fronts. My teeth and gums are looking squeaky clean with a little extra flossing TLC - even if it wasn't daily. My skin feels refreshed with the simple addition of a bit of under eye goop. I went further than simply cleaning off the cross trainer, I got on it for 30 minutes and actually worked up a sweat. I did it once and was able to remember that exercise does feel good - the hard part is just getting myself to carve out the time to make it a priority.

I ate, ate, ate. Medium R's birthday extravaganza brought all kinds of yummy food into our home and what I noticed is how easy it is for me to overeat when I'm tired - which these days is almost always!

I wrote just a few times this week and they were powerful days filled with insights. I discovered that my output of rough draft in a writing session has a word count close to that of a half a chapter. It might be very rough, but its there effortlessly. This both surprised and thrilled me.

Just a bit of consistent effort on the things that matter to me added up to some great results. I didn't need to be perfect or adhere to a tough to-do list. I just become mindful and the magic happened. Even more wonderful - I could forgive my imperfection and just enjoy the results of my efforts. With that mind set, its a lot easier to look ahead to this week and make the minor adjustments that will give me more of what I want.

I know that I need more sleep to help me manage my diet so I plan to grab a nap at some point during the day instead of trying to squeeze in a bit of laundry and cleaning - it will still be there when I wake up! Drat! After some experimentation, I know what time works best in Baby S'es schedule for me to get on the cross-trainer. Heading to bed even 1o minutes earlier, before I'm nearly comatose, will ensure that I have the energy to devote to the bit of self care that makes me feel good about myself. And all this adds up to an increase in creative juice - which to me is that elixir of good living!