I am a dedicated list writer and I've always believed that this has made me frighteningly efficient. Having recently completed my exam, there were a hundred things that had been put on hold and now feature on a long to-do list, ranging from 'take the cat to the vet' to 'apply for a visa to enter China' and a whole lot in between.
This week I crashed through the to-dos. Flushed with success on Monday (put away all the crockery from the weekend BBQ, book Toby into vets, download next years OU books, get a file manager app for my Kindle), I eased into Tuesday (take Meg to her sister-in-laws, little shop at M&S for summer essentials, get 2 day pass for entry to Versailles palace, prepare probate forms for the solicitor) and so on, accelerating through the week. Completing both mine and Richard's 12 page visa application for China felt like a pinnacle of success and there was a definite spring in my step as I walked to the post office to send off the package. I was grinning, not only at the happy thought of our impending trip, but also in anticipation of crossing the item off the schedule when I literally stopped dead in my tracks. This was a near-disaster! Just in time, something clicked in my brain - 'how would I get to France with my sister this weekend if my passport was in the Royal Mail on its merry way to the Chinese Visa Application Centre?' A narrow escape from my over-zealous, lets-get-on-with-it, list-ticking, conscientious stupidity.
Calm down, chillax, loosen up, take it easy. No need to multi-task anymore. No need to juggle balls or spin plates. Super mum is so last century for me. I need to mix a little bit of mañana and r&r into my bag of tricks. Slow the treadmill to a speed my mind and body can keep up with. It's difficult, when I've spent the last half century hurrying along, but one of the good things about retirement is that one of my wishes has come true. I have more time. I just can't quite believe it yet.
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