I Think I'll Putter More In 2010

A favorite..author unknown~~

"Puttering is a sublimely peaceful activity.

Puttering cannot be done on a deadline;

puttering cannot be done in haste.

When you putter, you are intimately

engaged in something you love.

When you putter, you drift from one little task to another.

You inspect everything with a lover's eye.

You do a little of this, and a little of that.

You'll likely accomplish nothing that's big by itself,

but bit by bit your world is improved.

Puttering is usually associated with a place:

a garden, a kitchen, a workshop, a garage, or a study.

The exact place doesn't matter.

The point of all true puttering

is that you're doing things that need to be done--

and you're not doing them on a

schedule or to achieve some larger goal.

You're doing them because doing them satisfies your soul,

because they are worth doing for their own sake,

and mostly because you've been able to let go

of the rush to achieve, step back, and contemplate

your special place in peace.

Puttering is how people got things done

before clocks were invented. Children putter naturally;

only in their case we call it playing.

Over time I've been accumulating a list of touchstones

to tell me when my life is getting too stressful

and I need to cultivate a little peace.

If I'm tempted to eat breakfast in the car on the way to work,

then I'm rushing too much.

If I get irritated by the traffic

on the freeway, I need to relax.

If I'm always grumpy, I need to lighten up.

And if I've not been puttering, I need to slow down.

Life's too short not to putter "