A friend of mine calls me nearly every day and we chat about writing and life and all the things you chat with a friend about. One thing we ask each other is “what did you get done today?” In context, we are usually talking about our writing but today, I got to thinking about it.

What did I get done today?

As far as my writing goes, very little. But I knew that going into the day. Being Labor Day, it was a rare occasion for all family members to be in the house at the same time so we got some family things done. Things like discussing what needs to be done in the house, moving some pieces of furniture around, consolidating boxes down for the recycle center, processing garden produce for the freezer, and so on. They are difficult chores or even ones that take a lot of time, but there were enough of them that I didn’t get a chance to get to my writing.

So when my friend asked me what I’d done, I had to say nothing. And yet, I had seventeen items on my to-do list for today. All but three of them got done (and the day isn’t over yet). I also did other things that weren’t even on my list (it never fails that when you start moving one thing, filing papers or cleaning one thing, other things seem to need moved or cleaned or filed.) So while I didn’t write, I did get a lot done. And that is never a bad thing.

So, what did you do today?