Unfinished Laundry

I'm standing in the laundry room folding a load of close when I a soft whine from my daughter's room..."Oh no" I think to myself. "She's waking." I look in the dryer and see half of the clean load still left to fold and then put away. "Just hold on a few more minutes please Madi so I can finish the laundry and get the next load put in."

But alas, two more whines, each a little louder, and I know that I need to go get her before she gets into a full-blown cry. She's hungry and the laundry can wait. Yet this has been one of the hardest adjustments I've had to make in my daily routine since becoming a mother.

Once I start a task, I thrive on completing it. I've always struggled with leaving things incomplete - loading the dishwasher, finishing a blog post, wiping off the counters, folding and putting away laundry...I think you get the idea. Once I start working on a task I like to finish it so I can cross it off my To Do list.

Ah, the infamous To Do list. I've even been accused of putting "Relaxing" on my To Do list just to ensure it would happen. (Guilty as charged.) I also (somewhat shamefully) admit that I have put things I've recently finished on the To Do list just for the satisfaction of crossing them off. I obviously have a problem and love To Do lists a little too much!

However, I have had to learn to adjust since becoming a mother. It would be irrational to prioritize my satisfaction at finishing whatever task I am on rather than attending to Madison. It hasn't been easy for me to learn how to walk away from something before it's finished. God is continually working to teach me patience and prioritization.

I won't look back years from now and regret not finishing folding that load of laundry, but I would regret not spending that time with my precious daughter while I had the chance. So I walk away from the half-finished load of laundry, go into Madison's room, and am greeted with the most beautiful smile and coo as my daughter sees me looking into her crib. I know in that moment that I am beyond blessed  to have her and that nothing could be more important than spending time with her.