I started today with a packed agenda of virtuous tasks.  Now it's 4:30 and I'm waiting for my daughter and grandson to get home.  I didn't work on either of my contracting projects, dishes (albeit clean) are still in the dishwasher and two loads of laundry are still on the floor.  I'm obviously not heading to the dojo for my evening classes.

Now, I did, in fact, get some things done.  But my biggest accomplishment was to realize that I don't need to justify taking the rest of the afternoon off on the basis of what I did, any more than I should feel guilty about what I didn't do.  This is, I remembered, exactly why I wanted to work part-time instead of full time.  The point is to be able to live a balanced life that includes time away from deadlines and to-do lists, and that values time off as well as time on task.

I'd been thinking about what I would photograph today, but the answer was revealed when I took my car in for its (late) state inspection.  Big, fat raindrops were shining off the ends of some crepe myrtle buds on a tree in the parking lot.  I saw the same thing taking the dog for his walk.  What I didn't realize, until I got up close, was how beautifully these tiny raindrops reflect the huge objects in their surroundings.  I'm sure there's poetry and deep spiritual meaning in there.  Mostly I just think it's cool.