I Like to Count

Countdowns.  I have one or more going in my head all the time.  I don't know what it is, but they motivate me (and definitely preoccupy!). Countdown to Christmas.  Countdown to last day of school.  Countdown to first day of school. :) Countdown to birthdays.  I've even been known to make calendars to induce excitement.  Like for upcoming vacations. My favorite homemade calendar celebrated the last day Scott would deliver newspapers as a 2nd job. Not only did we have big boxes to check off, but I attached various pictures of Scott asleep - because that's mostly the way we saw him during that season and we were looking forward to having him back.

Marking off days makes me happy.  Is that weird?  Don't answer that. It gives me something to look forward to.  I kind of think it makes me appreciate the event I'm counting down to and all the days in between, living each one to the fullest. 

I noticed this trend recently and how often I do this.  It became more pronounced when our firstborn, Drew, left home for college. After he's been gone a while and the calendar shows we are less than 2 weeks out from the next time we'll see him...I start counting.  "____ days until Drew Burtis is home" rings through the house daily.  The downside:  when it's less than a week until he leaves again, the counting resumes.  This time I keep it to myself.  Not the same anticipation.  :(

Today I have several countdowns on my mind.  I thought you should know. HA!  5 hours until Ben's big game tonight.  2 and 1/2 weeks or less of this basketball season which leads us to the day Ben will live here with us full time again.  Woohoo! It's just one month and one day until our baby girl turns 15.  (Then we count down to one year until she drives - yikes!)  It's 10 days until we see Drew again. Cut me some slack here - I haven't seen him since Jan. 2!  (Didn't even see him for his 20th birthday, but that's another story.) He's stopping by on his way to a wedding - a brief stop so I can hug him (multiple times) and feed him lunch.  Then just one week after that he will be home for a 10-day spring break.  10 days!!  Then it will be just 3 weeks until Easter and the kids' spring break and then merely 4 days until my birthday.  And then....and then...and then....there's always something!

Maybe I like numbers.  Maybe I should have been a math major.  Maybe I should settle down and take a nap.

How do you keep your mind sharp??