Scrolling through Facebook and clicking my way around BuzzFeed the past few months, I've noticed a very similar pattern. Considering I'm a "lists" woman myself, I have become hyper-sensitive to all of the to-do's and checklists I have been advised to pursue in this very instant in my life. For example…
20 things every 20 something must do
30 things to do before you're 30
100 things every college student must know
50 reasons why studying abroad is life changing
10 reasons why being a young adult is hard
25 things every woman must know before she dates
(God forbid I wait to do any of this, or else I’ll surely fail at the current life stage I’m in)
Amongst these are, of course, the sillier ones indicating world’s best cat gifs and countdowns through the most famous 90’s kid memories.
And as much as I love reading this and being reminded of all the things I can be doing, or should have done, or already did, I find it really hard to want to follow those lists.
Why?
Because I don’t find it necessary to write down a list of things we already know.
Taking a road trip and counting your blessings, saying thank you when you’ve been complimented and studying for midterms until 3am come with the territory of simply living life.
None of these lists are revolutionary. No new idea has been presented, no answers to questions have been unearthed, it’s just a list of to-do’s to remind us of past conversations about future pursuits.
Thinking further into this, it got me pondering into why we love these articles so much. It helps that we feel reached out to and concentrated on, of course, but we are simple humans living in a not-so-simple world. And all of those lists serve as reminders to hone it all in to what we believe really matters.
Growing up in the church and immersing myself in leadership throughout high school and college, I’ve had countless opportunities to hear motivational speakers and leadership developers of the like encouraging me to stand up and make a difference. Be a call to action, reach out to a friend in need, lead by example. And I leave those seminars absolutely fired up and after a week passes, my “church camp high” has faded and I’m back to struggling through daily life.
We are in constant need of daily reminder.
We are always seeking out ways to improve on and remember the simple things we learned in our earlier years.
And no matter how we spin it, it’s always the same.
We need that daily bread to keep us going. Just as we nourish our bodies with food and our minds with wisdom, our hearts need the same attention.
So I challenge you this. Instead of seeking out 20 things to do before next year or 150 things to memorize for a perfect life, what if we all just sought out love?
Simple.
Love.
For with love you can do mighty things.
With love you can call your mom and catch up on the past few weeks, or months.
With love you can bake a batch of brownies for your friend buried in midterms.
With love you can feed the homeless, take quiet time for yourself, and view those around you in a way that says, “You are human, just like me. We fail, we rise, we fail again, but why not do it together?”
So what will you do this week?
Will you remind yourself of all that needs to be done, or will you give yourself a break and just complete one daily task?
Love.
