Goals

Why are we so goal-oriented?

Is everyone goal-oriented? Or only some of us? Most of us?

If, at the end of the day, I don't have a feeling of accomplishment, I feel deflated. Why is that?

Do stuff? Or just be.

Perhaps it's a generational thing. Perhaps the peers I've moved through the decades alongside have reinforced the quest for accomplishment. My friends and colleagues, by and large, aren't the coffee shop hanger-outs portrayed on Friends or Seinfeld. Mostly because we all had jobs to make a living to afford our apartments, but even on weekends, we were doing things, rather than simply hanging out together.

Bulbs, no check

Still in the box

As for yesterday's goals, the daffodil and tulip bulbs are still in their boxes. We haven't unpacked all of our tools yet, and the battery-operated drill that was available wasn't strong enough to auger holes for the bulbs. With 225 bulbs, augering bulb holes is my strategy for success. So, I'm content to wait another week or so until we uncover our electric drill, which won't limit my spread-them-eveywhere ambition, since we also have two, 100-foot extension cords. Somewhere.

Not meeting that goal was okay with me, because it was outside my control. I didn't flake off and eat chocolate instead. Although, I did have a piece of chocolate. But it wasn't a replacement for bulb planting.

Sewing, partial check

Sustainable napkins

I did get a lot of sewing done, and that is a fairly large project, so that felt good. I'm making napkins, a step toward sustainability for our group house. I have a whole plan around the napkins, and it will be fun to see how it all works out. To launch the project, a few weeks ago I brought home four pieces of fabric, washed them, folded them up, and set them aside. Each fabric is pretty, cotton, and fits into our color palette.

Turns out I brought home a bit too much fabric; each one resulted in 8-12 napkins. Let's just say that we're well-stocked in napkins now. They were fun to make. I set a goal of sewing three napkins each time I sat down at the machine, and then I could go do something else. Being an over-achiever, I usually made six or even eight at a time, and now I only have five left to sew today.

They have slender, rolled hems, and the repetition for each napkin resulted in me becoming pretty good at sewing rolled hems now. That will come in handy when I do something bigger. Altar cloths come to mind. Also, it looks like these napkins won't need ironing, a promising sign. So all in all, the sewing project was a huge success, even though there's still a tad to do.

Joy level, check. Plus a star.

My primary goal for yesterday was to move through the day with joy. That happened. Every part of the day was fun, inward, manageable, and successful. Even the thwarted bulbs were a success, because there's a path forward toward accomplishing the project. It will get done.

Joy is simple.

You can do anything you need to do, as long as you can find joy in the doing of it. Such a simple concept, but not necessarily easy to achieve. You need to practice in order to get better at it. And every day offers another opportunity to practice. It's a worthwhile goal.

So not only do I get to check off joy as an accomplishment for yesterday, I'm giving myself a gold star. Partly because I'm a generous person. Mostly because I worked at it, overcame some obstacles, and nurtured joy all day long.

It's on my list for today, too.

A new day