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Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Getting My Priorities Straight

Sunflower Seed KaleidoscopeImage by Tobyotter via Flickr


I find that I do my best thinking when I am out in my garden. There is something about the simple tasks I engage in there, like pulling weeds, planting seeds and watering, that allow my mind to both relax and focus on the things that are most important to me.

Yesterday while I was watering my plants my thoughts meandered towards my priorities. That started me on composing a list and lead me to devising my own hierarchy for them. This is the end result:

  1. Myself before others
  2. People before things
  3. Being before doing
  4. Love and happiness before sorrow and hate
  5. Mindfulness before multitasking
  6. Mistakes and messes before perfection
  7. Feelings before thoughts
  8. Gratitude before desire
  9. Real world before distractions
  10. Relaxation before activity
It amazes me how easily this whole list just came to me. I won't spoil it by going into a detailed explanation of each item. Suffice it to say that this has been a work-in-progress and that this list reflects the changes living with chronic illness has brought to my life.

My final thought: I wonder what this list will look like in 5 years or 10 years from now.

Do I have my priorities straight? What would you add or subtract from my list? Share your thoughts in my comment box...
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3 comments

Edward said...

That's a great list. Thanks for the reminders!

Wendy Burnett said...

Selena - I love it, and wouldn't change a thing.

It's amazing what kinds of changes living with a chronic illness can make in a person. Some learn important lessons, like this list; and others become bitter and cranky, spreading negativity everywhere they go. (Being bipolar, I tend to alternate between the two.)

Rosemary Lee said...

I LOVE THE LIST....(I'm just not sure I could do the mistake thing....perfection issues). If I would just take the time to plan out my day and think about all those things.

of course, pain makes some of those fly out the window.

Hugs,
Rosemary