Nothing

 Dan asked what I had planned for the day.
I said "Nothing." 

Which really means, "Nothing that would be interesting for me to tell you about."

(I actually had a long list of things to do, beginning with making a list of things to do. Laundry, exercise, grocery shop, tidy, replenish soap and TP in all the bathrooms, make a writing plan, play with Emi, catch up on e-mails, to-do's for Belnord, plan for singing time etc.)

 
But those things aren't great conversation starters. Which was the case for so much of the mothering years. It's fun to talk about what the kids did that day, but hard to find something interesting to share about household chores -- When I refilled the soap, I also wiped away the gunky ring of dark buildup around the lid. Not sure if anyone will notice, but I feel better about it.

And yet, you get so desperate to tell someone about your day. 

It's not very scintillating stuff, but  it's all you have.

Maybe the better way to answer would be,

"I have nothing out of the ordinary on the calendar, but I'm sure to have lots of thoughts to share by the end of the day and I'd love to share them with someone."

Because even through the often mundane (yet satisfying, if you're an organizer like me!) 
tasks of doing laundry and dishes, putting away the groceries, checking out HomeGoods, playing patty-cake and airplane and singing to and teaching the baby to rollover, 

you have lots and lots and lots of thoughts that would be nice to talk about.

What I did today (in addition to refilling bathroom soaps and the fridge 

and playing with my granddaughter):

I thought about how glad I was I to not feel stressed about reviewing submissions for feedback for my class and doing homework I didn't feel had value and I could just enjoy playing with Emi and getting home stuff done.

Since I don't have a class with assignments, I spent time making writing goals so I can continue progressing and making time for something that brings me joy.

I determined to eat more fruits and vegetables throughout the day.

I listened to a podcast in the car interviewing a memoir author and thought about how her experience of sharing her memoir journey could be equally appropriate on All In because it was inspiring and even spiritual when you think about writing in the context of God guiding us to finding ways to enjoy our talents, find fulfillment and even make a difference.

I came to the realization that I'd really like to have friends who write. Friends I can spend time with in person and share our common interest. Someone to talk to about the process--concerns, successes and they would understand without a big, long explanatory backstory.