02 April 2011

On Lists and Why I Hate Them

But before that, I would like to apologize to my six readers for not posting anything in a very long time. I've been extremely busy with school and making preparations for a coming trip to Italy and France this summer. That aside, my spring break is at hand meaning I have a few free hours here and there which I plan to spend blogging.

So, the list thing.

I hate lists, and I think the best way to illustrate why I feel the way I do about them is to show you my list for today with the things I've actually done marked out.
  • Wake up on time
  • Take a shower/other typical morning activities BEFORE doing anything else so I can actually get something done today
  • Eat breakfast
  • Get oil changed
  • Get air in tires (living on a gravel road does weird things to tires)
  • Actually finish chapter 2
  • Get started on the first English essay
  • Send in application for college open house
  • Send in application for OLAB
  • Turn off the Golden Girls marathon
  • Write a blog post
In case you didn't get the point I was making, it was that I can make all the lists I want, but I almost never stick to them. Granted, I'm less prone to forget things, but, for the most part, with me, nothing really gets done until it absolutely has to.

The reason, I think, for my reluctance to do anything, is that I hate the idea of a list just as much as actually doing anything on the list itself. I'm too afraid that, if I actually follow through with absolutely everything on the list, my life will become more rinse-and-repeat than it already is. I'm reminded of a quote by Author Jack London
"I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time."
Lists feel too robotic--too much like I'm doing something simply for the sake of doing--even though I know that's not necessarily their purpose. I prefer to do things on-a-whim.

Lastly, to make up for my lack of blogging in a very long time, I am going to try--try, mind you--to blog every day in April. We'll see how long that lasts.

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