The Should Have List

I'm not big on regrets. Trust me, I have them; I'm just not a fan of mulling them over. Today, however, I optimistically began a Should Have list. More often than not, I'm a bit slow on the uptake. It's not that I don't strive to keep up with all duties/hobbies regarding my home and family. It's just, well...sometimes, I don't think about what those duties are or forget them until the moment (or planting season, whichever the case may be) has passed me by. Sometimes, I receive the life-changing tip after the life-changing event. Hence, the Should Have list - for all the things I should have done this year and hope to remember next year.

This list began simply enough. I asked Audrey if she wanted to get the mail. (I give her about a two-minutes lead before heading out the door, myself). As she stalled by the tulips, I took a gander at the front landscaping, a little awed by all the new green that's just sprouted up in the past few days. That's when I noticed the growing-without-abandon rosebush looked a bit snacked on. Which, is when I remembered the rose spray sitting, untouched from last year, in the garage. Which, is when I began the Should Have List. I took out the calendar, flipped to April, and scribbled "should have: begun spraying roses." (Next, I instantly turned to a month in fall and wrote "should have: planted more tulips. In bunches!") The plan is, come time to fill out next year's calendar, I take this year's notes and rewrite them on the headers of next year's months. Instant reminder. I should have done this last year.