4795592340_3c73965497_bDaniel’s cryptic reference to a three-and-a-half year period for the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes comes to mind when I try to get my head around what time it is.

It’s the last week of the semester and the middle of the Advent season, but I’m preparing for spring classes, writing Bible studies for Lent, and within a week of a wedding. That’s at least three and a half times, and they’re happening all at once.

I have so much going on that I’ve been forced to make a list, something I should probably do more often.

The problem with making lists is that I don’t know where to start and where to stop. Do I include “do the laundry,” “cook dinner,” “walk the dogs,” “grade papers,” “work on spring semester syllabi,” and “write a blog” for the sake of completeness, even though I’m unlikely to forget those tasks? Do I include appointments that are already on my calendar, which is a long list of its own genre, or should I just stick with the bushel of immediate errands to be run, groceries to garner, and gifts to be bought? And do I include “Get some exercise, you lardbucket!”?

The best thing about lists, aside from not forgetting things, is the joy of marking things off as accomplished, even though that’s both another job and a fleeting pleasure, as the last task is always to make another list.

I may or may not become an inveterate list maker, mainly because I already have so many pots on the stove that making a list seems like just another thing. Then again, without a list, I could forget some really important thing, or end up making three trips to the store instead of one.

Whether I write it down or not, however, one thing I’ll keep in mind is to count my blessings. The hustle of constant activity may be tiring, but having nothing to do would be deadly.

Hey, it’s a busy Monday. Bring it on!

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