Photo: © D. Paul Graham, “Checking Time”, Lisbon Portugal, circa 2017

“Monday 5 Things”™ ….. To-Do ……

I had a very different M5T planned for today but after spending time Sunday with a friend who is very ill, I changed course for this week’s post. So, here I am, late on a Sunday evening, re-writing M5T as I contemplate the fragility, the complexity, the vulnerability of life. Contending with the mystery of God’s timing and reasons.  Wrestling with the unknown of facing death when there are things you still want to do, and people that you desperately want to have time to share more moments, laughter, tears, and love. Questioning one’s legacy in life and how you want to be remembered. Recognizing what is truly important in life, perhaps for the first time in your life. And, ultimately, trying to grasp what eternal life beyond this world will mean. We tend to focus so much on things that Saint-Exupéry’s Le Petite Prince coined ‘matters of consequence’. Sunday afternoon was a gift of just being, finding things to laugh at during a difficult time, and focusing on deeply essential qualities of living. This morning’s M5T shares some things that I realize I need To-Do, not just this week, but for my own time left here on this side of eternity.

1. Engage

Make the call, send the email, and write the letter that I’ve been meaning to do for some time, just to let someone know I’m thinking about them and that I care about them. I want to take more time to engage with my creative side, and to contribute and to celebrate with others.

2. Release

I need to let go of anger I have about an issue that is not all that important in the big scheme of things. I want to open my heart, protect my mind, defend my energy, and permit my soul to expand. I must release fear, transient desires, and feelings of guilt and shame from the past. To let go of misguided expectations, taking things personally, and critical negative thinking. To keep a loose grip on any possessions.

3. Express

Even in this age of political correctness, I never want to hesitate to give someone a hug, just for the sake of a hug. I choose to commit each day to finding ways to let my wife know just how much I appreciate and love her. To let the people in my life know how important they are to me. I want a mindset and life that empowers, encourages, and emboldens others. I need to be respectful of other opinions but remain steadfast in my convictions and faith, and to never let my voice be silenced.

4. Solitude

I will continue to take time to step back and just think, pray, and focus only on the truly good things in my life that I’ve been blessed with and to never forget where I’ve come from. Within my solitude, to embrace what I have learned from the deepest of valleys in life, the pain felt in the dark nights of my soul, and the peaks and triumphs that I’ve experienced.

5. Choices

I need to say yes to the things that will advance what is most important in my life for my personal goals. To choose a mindset of growth. To consciously be grateful, inwardly, and outwardly. I need to choose to say no to things that others expect of me for their own selfish reasons or because of how they define me. To consciously choose to refuse and abhor mediocrity. To choose to say yes to healthy habits and to say no to toxic, disruptive behavior. And to steadfastly seek the wisdom to know the difference between the choices of yes and no.

Here’s to a week, and to a life, of knowing what the truly important To-Do’s are in your world.

2024 D. Paul Graham, all rights reserved.

For over 12 years, D. Paul Graham has published “Monday 5 Things” ™, also known to readers as M5T.

You can reach Paul by email at dpg@imagegraham.com