Which Eggs? Which Basket?

Gretchen Lee Bourquin
So the weekend is here, and I find myself with a large laundry list of things to do. Laundry included among them. I also need to go to the pet store to restock guinea pig supplies. Go to the grocery store to restock people supplies. Pay some bills. Work out. Finish my review of Karate Kid. Design promotional cards for No Sensible People. Work a little on the new novel. Read a couple hundred pages of The Gargoyle, by Andrew Davidson. (Very well written and propelling so far). Try to get out to my mom's at some point. And of course finish my blog. There are still other things that are trying to push themselves on the list, but they can all take a number until the rest of it is done. All this while losing an hour to Daylight Savings Time.

It's a lot to keep track of-- even for someone who is good at tracking, which I'm not especially. But even though all of it seems like an uphill battle and more than a little overwhelming at moments there are bright spots that make it all worth it. And sometimes it seems like the list gets more bearable the longer it gets. No room for distractions. So what was I doing earlier this morning? Trying to win a game of Advanced Spider Solitaire on the computer. After several tries I got one row, which will have to do.. Maybe there is a part of me that figures if I can organize playing card royalty, I can organize my life. Or maybe I just want to win a challenge.

Recently, I was finally able to order some copies of No Sensible People. And over these last couple weeks I finally got some circulating. I donated one to The Loft Library in Minneapolis -- I haven't been back there to check if it's still there. I put another in the coffee copy room at the day job, and that is circulating. I sold two other copies. And I sent one out in the mail to start a mail book review tour. I got a tracking number for Bookcrossing.com, so I will leave one more copy in a public place sometime next week. Hopefully it will get tracked, or at least read. And finally, with spring around the corner I'll be able to get out to more events, be more visible, and if I'm lucky, someone will take me seriously.

There seems to me a fine line between "putting all your eggs in one basket" and juggling so many baskets that you feel like you're walking around with egg on your face most of the time. I'm learning. Slowly. Very very slowly it seems sometimes. I pick up one basket, set another down. Run my to do lists, see what works and what doesn't. And maybe, once in a while, I can take a minute and set all the baskets aside, and just admire the egg.


Published by Gretchen Lee Bourquin

I am the mother of two college students living outside Minneapolis, MN. I write fiction, poetry, informational articles and commentary pieces on various topics. My work has appeared in various places onl...  View profile

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