Just One More Thing To Hold
- Alice Ranker
- Aug 16
- 3 min read
I completely forgot to write my blog this morning.
It wasn’t because I procrastinated or struggled with an idea. I didn’t even decide to skip it. It just completely slipped my mind.
As I’ve said before, I like routines and structure. It helps me flow through my day and makes prioritizing my tasks a simpler process.
On Sundays, I start my day off writing this blog. I do the laundry and the grocery shopping for my family and my mom. If Timothy is in town, we often do those tasks together.
But today my rhythm was off and my mind was distracted.
Yesterday, we helped our friends move. This morning, my body was feeling the fatigue of the heat and heavy lifting of yesterday. My mind has also been preoccupied this week with the mental deadline of the next edition of the Life Designer. I need to get it to the printer soon to have physical copies in time for the end-of-year sales, so I intentionally started the laundry last night to give myself a large block of time to work on it.
Timothy has a simple procedure tomorrow and was supposed to take medication prior to the appointment. The pharmacy didn’t get his prescription yesterday, so that left us scrambling to figure out how and where to get it filled.
And my normal meal delivery that I count on for two meals each week was canceled. That meant more groceries, but it also meant thinking about and planning what those meals would be.
None of these things, on their own, are particularly overwhelming.
They were simply one more thing to hold.
My normal rhythm alleviates some of the mental overload. Today my list might have read:
Laundry. Groceries. Blog. Life Designer.
But my brain is holding:
What are we eating this week? What ingredients do I need? Where can we find Tim's medication? What does he need before tomorrow? What still needs to be completed in the Life Designer? How soon does the publisher need it? Will I have enough time for presales?
Sometimes it isn't how many things we're doing. It's how many things we're holding in our heads while we're doing them. And eventually something falls out. Today, it happened to be the blog.
It’s weird to think about forgetting something that I do every week. And when I remembered, while brushing my teeth, I could have berated myself…
Girl, get it together!
But my routine didn’t fail.
My planning didn't fail.
Mindfulness didn't fail.
Today simply required more capacity than an ordinary Sunday does.
Maybe we sometimes expect our routines and mindfulness practices to prevent us from becoming overwhelmed. But perhaps their real purpose is helping us recognize what's happening when we do.
So, I reassessed.
I planned the meals and made the shopping list. I sat down to write the blog while Timothy drove to Virginia Beach to pick up his medication. Once he gets back, I’ll go to the store. And I'll still have the remainder of my afternoon to work on the Life Designer.
The day didn’t need to be scrapped. It just needed to be rearranged.
I think that’s an important distinction.
Sometimes when our plans get disrupted, we try to squeeze everything back into its original place. We rush a little faster, push a little harder, or feel frustrated that the day isn’t going according to plan.
mindfulness isn't noticing everything before it happens. Sometimes it's noticing when what you planned no longer fits the day you're actually living.
I forgot the blog.
And forgetting the blog became the blog.
Maybe the goal isn't becoming so organized, mindful, or disciplined that nothing ever falls through the cracks.
Maybe it's becoming aware enough to recognize when we're carrying more than usual, and compassionate enough to adjust accordingly.
Life will occasionally outrun our routines. Maybe the practice isn't making sure that never happens. Maybe it's learning to meet ourselves with a little grace when it does.
Much love and space,
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