I should be

up to my elbows in soapy dish water~changing the tablecloth that bears tell-tale signs of what we've had for dinner recently~sweeping up dead winter grass that comes in on shoes by the bale~mopping up footprints~sorting laundry into smaller piles that don't look so much like mountains~ironing shirts~sewing on buttons~paying college tuition~finding out why the financial aid office doesn't have a completed FAFSA app which we did online~thawing chicken for dinner~roasting tomatoes and jalapenos to make salsa~getting directions to my sister's house~grinding oats to make the most wonderful oat waffles I've ever had for tomorrow's breakfast(found the recipe in the paper during oatmeal month)~making sure the bills are up to date~sending out late notices to renters~digging out the "school" room to reclaim it for an oasis~cleaning out the corner of the living room by my chair, which my dh affectionately--or not so affectionately as the mood may be--refers to as my "bunker"~reading~exercising~planning next week's school schedule~finding markets for Cousins~getting ready for G's next garage sale (first weekend in March)~finishing Smiley tie on my cereal fiction blog so I can start posting the next story which is FINISHED (never again will I believe that the pressure of a daily blog will help me find a conclusion to a story)~hug my kids~cleaning out my e-mail boxes which are overloaded with messages I don't have time to read~make sure that domain notice has a valid means of payment~decide how I'm going to get rid of some school books~figure out how to sell the china that was left behind in the house we bought (because I'll never use it, don't have room for it, and it makes no sense for me to keep it)~write a couple notes to people~and take a bubble bath and have a dark chocolate Hershey's kiss. Or twelve.

Now that I've written, I can cross that off. And my head isn't swimming quite so badly. I think it was David Allen who refers to this as a "mind dump" which frees you to concentrate on one thing at a time to move forward. To be honest, I'd rather sit in a chair with a cup of coffee and read something absolutely absorbing and unnecessary.

Where's a beach when you need it?