Great Conversation

My day did not go as planned. I'm a checklist girl and around 3pm I took a look at my list and knew I had two choices. Check nothing off or add the things I had accomplished and check those off. Can you guess which road I took? If you've ever been, or know, a checklist person...you already know.

It all started with the coffee. My stovetop espresso maker (made of thin, cheap metal but very cute) finally caved. I now know nine months of percolation powered by our camper's small but mighty propane range was its limit. Yes, we're currently living in a camper. More on that later. The point is, the struggle and delays started at breakfast.

By 11am I was playing a major game of catch up. So I started practicing a skill I've only recently learned: say no to corporate meetings (unless they're working meetings) whenever possible. My co-worker, a lovely woman who happens to be a Vice President, agreed it was fine to cancel the meeting but requested a quick connect so I opened a virtual room. Best move I made all day.

She really did only need five minutes to provide a business update relevant to the contract I am drafting, but then our son popped in the room. Why he did, why he always seems to do so, not the important part. The important part was she immediately acknowledged him and asked: "Are you home from school today?" When I mentioned we recently started homeschooling, I sealed our fate.

Our chat took me all the way to my next meeting but was worth every minute. We hit everything from spending time abroad with children, sans husband (brave woman!) to tools and tricks for raising conscientious, functional adults. This unexpected moment of learning how another mom does it filled my cup today. It gave me hope and new ideas.

I give it credit for checking off the following with a smile:

• edit and review of 4 contracts;

• 1 working meeting;

• 1 strategy meeting with my general counsel; and

• feeling fulfilled enough to enjoy the perfectly imperfect view when the working day was "done."