A To-DO List a Mile Long

I have a to-do list a mile long,

And longer.

And today I’m thankful for that –

for the long list of reasons to keep going,

for the long list of reasons to get up in the morning,

for being able to put things on this list myself.

And for being able to push my list aside when I need to.

When life calls,

when my energy needs to go a little outside the path I’ve paved,

when I get a reminder from the universe that we are all connected and that I have an important part to play.

That I matter in someone else’s life,

that I can impact someone’s life,

bring calm and hope to someone’s turmoil;

That I can look past my to-do list for in-the-moment human interactions;

That I am more than my to-do list,

and have the good fortune to get back to this list and keep doing and going.

May we always have a to-do list full of moments left to live

and embraces left to give

and life to breath into each other’s days;

May we always have things left to do,

steps left to take,

and pauses from this path to smell the roses.

Inspired by a special encounter at Gatlins BBQ in Houston, TX, "Where love is the secret ingredient."