To Do Lists

 To Do Lists

 

Today is cool and windy so it’s a good day to check things off my to-do list before fishing and pontooning starts.  There’s also the countdown to our 50^th Anniversary party on June 26^th and our lake home is now 10 years old and in some serious need of care.  I swear that I have been trying to downsize for at least 15 years and with my asthma acting up when there’s dust on all of our stuff, the “to-do” list is long and probably unrealistic. I have always been a list maker and like to check things off as I do them.  Evidently, I passed that trait on to Lisa.  I remember that I started to leave her to do lists in the summer so that her days had some structure and she truly was a big help to me.  Her biggest chores were to empty the dishwasher and later to wash clothes.  

 

I was delighted when I came home from work one day and she had written a to do list for me!! Her room used to be filled with paper lists she had made for others. She made others their grocery lists as well as their to do lists.  I think it is so neat that we raised women who are leaders…we used to say “bossy” but that’s no longer politically correct.  Lisa loved directing others and I would have to remind her that she was not the CEO of the organization but would have to take direction too.  She would get upset when others tried to direct her.  

 

Not everyone has that need or drive to be in control but Lisa certainly does and I love it! It may have been difficult directing those bossy women when they were teenagers but it’s been fun watching them as they mature and direct their own lives. After high school, Lisa lived in Williston for awhile until we decided to move her to Minot.  During the transition, she had to live in Crosby and the transition took longer than any of us wanted.  One day she came into the kitchen and said “Mom, when can I get a life of my own?”  

 

I am grateful to staff who let her look at  the choices on the menu for the day and let her choose her clothing and socks to match. That gives her a little control over her life where she has lost so much control. 

 

So here’s to leaders and to do lists and getting things done.  Be like Lisa!!

 

“We plan the way we live, but only God makes us able to live it.” Proverbs 16:9 

The Message Bible

 

 

 

 

Jokes and Laughter

Years ago, Lisa’s staff and I consulted a psychiatrist to discuss some behavior issues that Lisa was having. The psychiatrist told us that he saw Lisa as someone who loved to have fun and if she didn’t have fun at work or with the everyday chores of life, she might react with bad behavior. He was a wise man and he helped to change our approach with her and indeed her bad behavior went away. Lisa loves to have fun and to joke. It’s so fun to see her laugh until her face is contorted and until she snorts. It’s hard to get her to laugh that hard since her stroke but that doesn’t mean that she has lost her need to have fun. This is one of her favorite jokes and before her stroke she wrote me a note about her love of the “pig story”. A guy found this pig on the side of the road... Not knowing what to do with it, he brought it over to the police station to ask what he should do with it. The policeman tells him to take the pig to the zoo. A couple weeks later the same police officer was on highway patrol and he sees the same guy driving in his convertible with the pig lounging in the passenger seat, wearing a bathing suit and sunglasses. The police officer, pulls the guy over and says, "Hey you! What are you still doing with this pig? I thought I told you to take it to the zoo!" "Well officer," the guy replies, "I did take it to the zoo, and then last weekend I took it to get ice cream, and now I'm taking it to the beach!"

Work

Lisa has tried various jobs throughout her adult life. There’s been a lot of trial and error to find just the right fit for her. We will always have a soft spot for Taco John’s as she’s worked at the one in Williston and also the one in Devils Lake. She worked over the noon rush hour and her job was to sweep the floor and to wipe off tables. She was very focused on her tasks. Customers didn’t really appreciate when she was sweeping and ordered them to “move” as they were putting in their order! When she was in Minot, she worked at a recycling Center for awhile. I don’t think she liked the hours which were 11am to 7pm. She was used to getting home by 4 or 5pm and getting her jammies on and having her evening meal so working until 7 pm did not appeal to her so I think she figured out how to get fired. She deliberately put plastic in the glass bin or glass in the paper bin! Oh, Lisa! Most recently she cleaned at a bar/restaurant before it opened in the morning. I had to pick her up from her job a few times and I was impressed with her work and how she knew how to punch in and out on an I-pad. She was hesitant at first but learned to take pride in her work and love it. Her best job and all of her loyalty went to her job working at a Second hand store in Stanley. She considered the store manager, Nancy, her best friend. They joked and laughed and worked together all day long. Lisa would change out clothes for the season or dust or organize shelves. She always found treasures she wanted and started to sneak things into her bags to take home so we worked out a system for her to set things aside and once a week, Arden or I would look at her treasures and say yes or no to them and buy the ones we said yes to! Sometimes she chose toys for her niece and nephew that were too young for them….she forgot that they were growing up or she would choose clothing of the wrong size or too similar to something she already had. Anyway, she worked there for nearly 10 years and loved every minute. At the end of her day at the second hand store, she had another part time job. A staff person drove her around to businesses and Lisa would hop out and go into the business and get things they wanted to mail out. After they finished their rounds, they would take those items to the post office. One time the driver wondered why Lisa wasn’t coming out of the bank she’d gone into so the staff person went in to investigate. The bank staff had invited Lisa in for cake and ice cream at a birthday party they were having for someone so of course Lisa joined them without letting her driver know! Oh, Lisa! I hope and pray that you can and do have fun at work!