Faced with another hour of tossing and turning, at 2:30 am I grabbed two pillows and tiptoed downstairs for a rendezvous with the best of late night cable television programming.  Praise be to House Hunters and Mystery Diagnosis.  After passing out at 7:00, I woke at noon with an annoyed and disappointed feeling in my stomach – I’ve wasted half the day.

This isn’t the first time I’ve been faced with a day that seems like it can’t surpass “so-so”.  Staying up late, oversleeping, and a Law and Order: Criminal Intent marathon creates a perfect storm for a unproductive day.  When I worked 9-to-5 this was a weekend-only challenge.  Now, blissfully fun-employed, this can happen to me on any day without appointments.

Moving forward: I don’t own a time machine.  I forced myself to recognize that the morning was now in the past and there wasn’t anything I could do about it. I didn’t even bother to slap myself on the wrist for my overnight couch potato party.

Working with what I’ve got left:  I managed to pull it together, put on some clothes and get out of the house.  Items will have to remain on the to-do list, but I feel better to focus on the one or two things I got done, not the 10 or 15 million things left undone. There will always be 10-15 million “undone” things on the list.  Like bugs in Florida homes, I just have to accept that they’ll always be there and do my best to ignore them.

Adjusting to a new lifestyle: I’ve escaped from the 9-to-5.  I’ve started bartending. I no longer have a fixed work schedule.  I’m finding a balance between the freedom to make each day what I want it to be and the comfort that routine and order can bring.