Let's Make a Plan

Hi, I'm Sarah and I'm a plan-aholic

Really and truly. If there is an opposite of ADD, I have it. While some people struggle with maintaining focus on the task at hand, I only wish I could be so lucky as to be able to set a project aside and not think about it for a while. But alas, it is all a part of my awful Planner's OCD, as I like to call it. I know what you're thinking--"Ha! This?! Coming from the chick who has a 14-month-old bundle of unplanned joy?!" Trust me, that one was a tough pill to swallow. I literally obsess about planning and executing every task in my life, from cleaning the kitchen to booking a vacation to preparing for a move.

And its the last one there that really has me hung up. Without getting into all the details, we are really at a crossroads right now. Now, I can handle crossroads. Usually, I just make a handy-dandy Excel spreadsheet and hammer out all the details until I have laid out a perfectly paved path for us to travel. The problem with this crossroads is that my hands are tied. I'm stuck. We're really in limbo and its killing me. I spend every free moment I have trying to plan something that realistically can't be planned right now but the thought of not having a plan is terrifying to me, so I just keep making contingency plans (ten bonus points for anyone who was able to follow that crazy ranting).

I know, I know, I just need to let it go and have faith. I've tried, I really have. But that little devil on my shoulder keeps saying things like, "But people need plans, Sarah. Responsible people have plans." I'm pretty sure Tom is going to pack his bags and leave if he comes home one more day to see some chart or pros/cons list I made during the girls' naptime lying on the counter.

I keep telling myself that once this all gets sorted out and we're not in limbo anymore and we have a real, live plan, I will finally be able to breathe again. But let's be honest--that will most likely never happen. Unless I start pouring milk into a bowl of Xanax for breakfast every day, I'm fairly confident that I am destined for a life of planning.

Which reminds me that I need to re-read this book. My mom bought it for me when I was in college, and I credit it with being the thing that finally convinced me to follow my heart and return to Athens from my brief stint at Kent State. If this book can convince me to transfer colleges, it can surely help me make some headway with my planning addiction, right? Right. I'll let you know how it goes.