Goal-oriented and task-driven. Now what?

The third day of an empty calendar and no list to check off tasks. The calendar and the list have been the organizers of my days, even on weekends. Typically I would review the list of tasks and prepare for the upcoming meetings, trainings, and collaborations while allowing myself a moment to linger over morning coffee. With a list usually longer than the day, the linger was neither lengthy nor luxurious, but that moment of composing myself was a needed routine.

In my "in-between" state, lingering seems to be self-indulgent, and the worry part of my brain seems to be shouting that I could do more to get to the next era. That part of the cerebrum doesn't seem to measure my next moves in time, but rather in urgency. The irony: now that the linger can be lengthy and luxurious, it doesn't seem to provide the same respite.

Learning to create meaningful goals and tasks that aren't driven specifically by a strategic career move will take me longer than the three days. And the to-do list might just have to fill up with household organization and the fulfillment of the promise I made to myself to purge all the "stuff" that lives in closets and crawl spaces and no longer serves me.

So today I "purged" some Thanksgiving leftovers, and I made some cranberry muffins. Hot and just the right sweet-savory balance, straight from the oven, and perfect with that coffee. The right bite and sip to start my day, and a forced lingering moment to contemplate what's next.

Muffins may be the best I can do on day three. So I'm celebrating a good bake.