"U" Is for Unfinished - Alphabe Thursday, 6-10-10

"U" Is for Unfinished - Alphabe Thursday, 6-10-10

I am the queen of procrastination, that's for sure.  That's why, at 65, I have a lot of unfinished business.  I look about me and see shelves bulging with books that I don't see how I can possibly finish in the years I have left.  I've sworn off new purchases until I read what I already have - many bestsellers from recent years, self help books that I know will improve me greatly if I would just get started on them, volumes on nutrition and weight loss, books on meditation and the like.

In a recent foray into the garage, I discovered ten unfinished projects from my needlework era.  My home is filled with lovely projects I did complete and which are a source of great pride.  These others have been in a cabinet for at least twenty years!  I haven't even thought about them in all that time.  I'm surprised the fabric hasn't rotted from storage in our foggy, damp climate.  I'm not likely to complete them at this time in my life so I need to get them sorted out and try to sell them on Craig's list.

Equally ignored, for the most part, are my five hundred cookbooks.  As I bought each one, over the years, I resolved to try at least five recipes from each one, within a month after I bought it.  Some, I barely even looked through.  Now, as I'm faced with the prospect of having to downsize and move into smaller quarters, I am in a quandry about these cookbooks.  I have a huge project in front of me.  Many of these cookbooks were acquired in my world wide travels and are wonderful momentos of these journeys, filled with beautiful pictures of their locales and wonderful recipes of local foods.  I will go through all the books, saving those that really have meaning to me, photocopying recipes from others that I rarely use, and the others will be sold. 

I look, with sadness, at the "baby" books of my three sons - all unfinished.  With my firstborn, Shawn, I started like gangbusters, filling in every momentous accomplishment....for about two years.  Then the entries became fewer and far between.  Soon, they stopped altogether.  With poor Alex and Jeremy, I was even less consistent.  Basically, all three of these momentos of their beginnings are unfinished.  I think I was a good mother but, somehow, having to be both a mother and father and working, literally, day and night, left me little time for these special activities.

I do admit my shortcomings but, at least, I haven't been remiss in letting my family and friends know how important they are to me and how much I love them.  I guess, as long as I've accomplished that, the rest of the unfinished parts of my life are not so terrible, after all!

I am participating in Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday - join in the fun and check out the site for other participants.