Putting up the Christmas tree
02 December 2007

Shelrie came over yesterday.  I love it when she visits for several reasons:  1) She’s vegetarian, and Matt always makes a really nice vegetarian meal for her.  Yesterday he made a very delicious vegetarian stir fry and we had his yummy banana bread for dessert.  2) Shelrie’s conversation is always enjoyable for everyone.  And 3) since we’ve known each other since we were 15-years-old and we were roommates in college as well, we reminisce.  I have only two other friends, Rick and Shelly, that I’ve known as long as Shelrie.  The older I get, the more I cherish my long-time friends.

Last night, we pulled out the old photo albums and thumbed through some pictures of us in high school and college.  It was really fun, saying “Oh my gosh, do you remember when we did that?” and “Oh my gosh, do you remember her?”

When my babies were born, I received several presents — books and calendars — that were for recording your child’s achievements: first word, first step, weight, height.  The women that gave them to me told me how much they really liked their baby books, and how they love to look back at them and see how the children have grown.

When I received the gifts, I was very grateful because the thought was so kind, but I knew I wouldn’t use them.  By the age of 36 (that’s how old I was when Lily was born), I already knew that this was not how I recorded my life.  That’s also when I realized that everyone has a different way to record their life.  Some people scrapbook; some people journal; some people use memory books.  I take pictures.  I also blog, but I think that is a secondary method.  I blog mostly to communicate.  But I take pictures to record my life — to remember and cherish.

My photo collection is a mess.  Truly a mess.  It’s in four or five boxes out in the garage, getting ruined.  I need to take the time to organize it.

Also, after going through some of the older photos with Shelrie last night, I realized that many of the photos are crap.  They are terrible photos of scenery.  When I go through the photo collection, I need to pick out the gems and leave the rest.  Otherwise, the gems get lost in the noise.

After Shelrie left, I took out the camera to take pictures of the kids and Matt putting up the Christmas tree, and I realized that I haven’t taken any pictures of Shelrie.  The last picture I have of Shelrie is from ten years ago.  I need to take pictures the next time she visits.

I like recording my life.  It’s fun to look back over the record with old friends. 🙂

Lily brushing the window.
30 November 2007

I have mentioned before that I am the “crazy list lady,” and I finally figured out why I list so much yesterday.  I have been wanting to list since Friday, and Matt, being the kind soul that he is, tolerates my habit not only with equanimity but with actual encouragement.  You see, since he is my husband and life partner, he has to be actively involved in my listing for my lists to be useful.

I don’t list all the books in my house or the different kinds of weeds we have in the garden.  I list my life.  And my life is Matt’s life, and Matt’s life is my life, so I drag him in deep with my lists… and he happily goes along because he knows it’s a bizarre need of mine.

I used to hide my listing habit from people because I thought they would think I was really weird.  But lately I’ve been embracing this intrinsic habit of mine.  I’ve been listing things since I was a child — organizing all the thoughts and ideas in my head and sometimes the physical stuff in my life.  But I mostly list ideas and desires.

Recently, two lists have popped out as being currently the most useful: what do we want to have accomplished in one year, and what should we be doing right now to achieve those year-long goals.  (Actually, the debt reduction plan, which could be considered a list, has also been extremely useful.)

While making these lists with Matt, I realized why I do this: it helps me stay focused.  When I start feeling unfocused and lost, I make a list.  If I still feel unfocused and lost, I either refine the list or try a different list.  Through listing my life, I eventually gain focus and a sense of direction.

And it’s fun. 🙂