It’s hard for me to work: grade, write, prepare for teaching, etc. when I don’t have a pressing deadline.  I call it living in crisis mode. I put things off and put things off until they literally can’t be put off anymore, and then the pressure forces me to get things done. It’s a terrible way to live, because I always feel anxious and guilty.

After reading a wonderful article on procrastination I decided to have a productive Sunday. I did yoga, graded a bunch of papers…and then stalled. I ended up reading blogs and a memoir, languishing in the late afternoon, feeling what I always feel on Sunday, a sense of dread for the coming week.

Then, I shook myself out of it. I sat at the kitchen table with my computer and papers and decided to plow through the worst of my tasks first, finishing up some grading. Oscar went to his room and came back out with some paper and crayons. He climbed onto the chair next to me and began coloring. With his companionship I was able to finish the grading. Darin put on some music, and Oscar got down to dance around the kitchen. Inspired, I began writing, getting a satisfying number of pages done on my book.

As I was working, I thought to myself, “Right now I don’t want to be anywhere else doing anything else.”

It was a truly perfect moment.

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