The Art of Multi-Tasking

When the weather gods bestow upon you August-like temperatures on the first weekend in May, how do you justify going inside at 4:00 to watch a hockey game?  First off, let me clarify -- this isn't just any hockey game.  This is the Leafs in the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in 9 years.  As a die hard never jump off the bandwagon fan since 1972, not even weather perfection is going to stop me from watching game 2 against the Bruins.  The key is to find a way to do so guilt free.  And the key to that is setting goals and multi-tasking.

It's early in the season so I don't feel compelled to do all the yard work in one day.  I can bite off manageable chunks, say like the front garden.  But first, bake a cake, start the laundry and walk the dog before the heat of the day sets in.  Hang the laundry -- it's dry almost as soon as I put the line out.  Sweep the front porch, furniture out and washed.  Bring in the laundry, hang another load.  Plant the lilies of the valley that have been languishing in pots since last summer.  Dig a hole.  Bury my little budgie who died a few days ago.  A moment of silence and quiet reflection for my little Johnny.  I had him almost eight years.

Oh wait, I'm supposed to be finding balance in my life.  Time out for a cup of coffee and read a chapter.

Check the clock.  I'm doing good.  Weed, weed, weed.  Water.  Garden ornaments in place.  Bring in the laundry, hang another load.

Don't forget that balance.  Into the shop.  Cut some glass.

And it's 4:00.  Into the basement.  Hockey Night in Canada theme song.  I get comfortable.  I'm practically guilt free, except for one thing -- the fish tank is right behind me.  The fish tank I haven't yet cleaned out.  Okay, I can do this.  I can clean up the tank during commercials and intermissions. No one really wants to listen to Don Cherry anyway.

Scrub, scrub, scrub.  Add water.  The final horn sounds.  LEAFS WIN!!  And the fish tank is clean and pristine...a beautiful thing.

This morning I check the tank to make sure everything is running the way it should.  The pleco is out swimming around, not sucked onto the back wall where he spends 98% of his time.  We make eye contact.  And then, I swear, he smiles at me.

Hmmm, I think....maybe some fish would be nice.