Making a List...Checking it Twice

I like to make lists.
I need to make lists.
I am addicted to making lists.

I make lists for just about everything. My mother was a list maker. My father became a list maker and so did my brother. I hadn't realized there was a gene for lists but I think there might be. I'll have to check with my sons to see if they share this trait.

As soon as an event gets space on the calendar, a list is born. The farther into the future it is, the greater the number of lists that can be generated. My thinking is that the process of writing a list frees up valuable space in my brain for more important, creative endeavors. And, once the details are committed to paper, I no longer need to fret over what I might possibly forget. Of course, that gives rise to the fear that I will lose the list...which I do...all the time. Either lose it or leave it behind (and this after putting it in plain sight, right where I couldn't possibly forget it). You can imagine my moments of panic when a list cannot be found and I must rely on my so called memory. So I keep churning out lists.

Just in case you think I am joking about the role of lists in my life, I have prepared a list of my current lists, works in progress if you like:

To Do list for week ending Oct 12th
To Do list for week ending Oct 19th
Grocery list
Menu ideas for weekend dinner with A & R
Fall clean-up list
Packing list for trip to CA
List of reach numbers and instructions for family while we are gone
To Do list for A's company
Thanksgiving Dinner list
Holiday party themes for One Mom and a Party
Holiday menus for One Mom and a Party
Birthday gift list for Nov and Dec birthdays
Christmas gift list
Winter packing list for SC
To Do list for website www.onemomandaparty.com

Now either this makes me very organized or a control freak. Either way, I am now comforted that I have stared down chaos and restored a semblance of order to my life. Not to mention all that extra space in my brain.