What is progress?

I was feeling a little down because I didn't get a chance to cross an item off my list during the past week.  But then I started thinking about how many of the challenges I'm actually working on.  Many, as you can see, take more than just an afternoon to do.  For example, I probably made about 50 origami cranes on Sunday.  Now when you're folding one crane it doesn't seem to take but a moment ... when you fold 50 more or less in a row, it takes longer.

Plus, there are a few items that I don't want to start yet.  I'd rather make costumes for myself after I lose some weight.  There are some job-related things (involving taking breaks, etc) that I feel I shouldn't do this fall since I've got so much time off between now and the end of the year.  And my upcoming (and much on my mind) trip to England in October is also a reason why I'm procrastinating on a few items as well.

I also realize that I did put some thought into my list of challenges.  They are things that I want to accomplish for their own sake, not just so I can go down the list and put checkmarks by items.  An example of this would be the first item on my list - writing a will.  I've been working on this one almost from the beginning of my project a month ago, but I still don't feel ready to get it notarized.  I keep thinking of more things that need to be added or checked on ... who's the current beneficiary on my life insurance policy, can my retirement account be part of my state since I'm not married and am childless, what are the "family heirlooms" that I own that should go to someone specific, and the list goes on.  Even though I've made some major progress on this one - asked someone to be executor, decided on how to divide the bulk of things, made up a list of accounts that might need a second name added for convenience later, etc - it's still not done.

And, of course, my life has other commitments than just working on things to challenge myself.  Last week included a couple of late nights at work, an all day visit to my parents, spending an afternoon helping a friend with a project, going to a party, and everyday living things like laundry that just don't do themselves.

So, do I have an item to cross off right now ... no.  Do I feel like I'm making progress ... yes.