magnetic responsibilities

responsibility chart=not just for kids



i had a brilliant idea the other day while i roamed aimlessly in michaels wishing that it didn't smell like it was all fake...where the bricks are supposed to "look authentic" but are not. plain and simple. there are a lot of things i like about michaels. lots of scrapbooking stuff--which would be great if i scrapbooked. anyway, while there i saw this magnetic responsibility chart. at first it was the colorful array of check marks that caught my attention and i immediately understood why kids respond to it...and skittles.
but as i stared longer, i thought about how we want children to take ownership of their life and teach them the "fundamentals" like how to make their bed, brush their teeth, and wear matching socks (although matching socks are highly over rated)


i realized that there is a "fundamental" shift as we get older. suddenly life goes faster and we over commit and become so consumed that we neglect some of what i perceive to be our biggest responsibilities.  we can remember to brush our teeth, make the bed, comb our hair, although i will admit there are days when even this feels like too much...but do we stop to make time for ourselves? 
so, i thought about a magnetic responsibility chart for adults that included tasks like "me time" "go to bed even when there are dirty dishes in the sink" "say no to something today" "take a warm bubble bath" "say yes to the gym--or a brisk walk" say "i am beautiful-inside and out" to the reflection in the mirror


these are the things that fall to the wayside and it struck me in a very profound way that sometimes, being able to see a visual...and having something tell us "it's ok" makes it easier to do. we very seldom have people asking us to do the things we do. no one asked me to vacuum, but for some reason i sure felt like they did. something about their tone, right?
no one asked me to organize the company picnic, but somehow i found myself running to the store, stressing out about whether there will be enough gluten filled buns for all the hot dogs.


sometimes i feel like a lazy pile of excuses when i just lay in bed before my alarm goes off or on a saturday when i could be doing x,y,&z but instead choose to watch design shows and not shower until i absolutely have to...and i wonder... if doing such a thing was an "actual responsibility" would i enjoy putting a colored check mark next to my name, feeling more accomplished than defeated?

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