"Just Puttering"

That was almost always my grandpa's response to my question of, "whatcha doing?" Usually he was in the shed looking for a whatchamacalit or in the garden lyming the tomato plants or teaching Barney, his dog a new trick. Sometimes it was pestering my grandma. He loved to do that.

So tonight as I find myself not wanting to follow my schedule of things to do and aimlessly wandering around the house watering plants one minute and picking out my outfit for tomorrow the next, I came back to that phrase.

Sometimes in life, we just need a good putter. No schedule, nothing pressing. Just puttering.

Puttering can take the form of many activities. Folding laundry, looking through a bookcase, cleaning out your purse, entertaining your pets. That's the beauty of a good putter.

As an organizer, however, puttering should not be encouraged. Schedules should be made and adhered to. Items put back into their rightful place after use. That to-do list should be to-done. That kind of thing. That's what keeps me organized.

In this world, though, we need time to just be. And puttering is just the ticket. The organizing will follow after we've been refreshed and recharged.