in 1994 when i was just a young EMT-Basic one of my instructors gave me some sage wisdom in regards to meal consumption while working in an ambulance. This advice was to always eat my french fries first, french fries do not microwave well and are really only good when you get them initially, so eat them first. This bit of advice has stuck with me and has actually grown into one of the guiding principals in my life. The concept is based on how we triage patients in the Emergency Services, the critical patients get care first and those that can wait, well they wait.

The big question is what is critical in our lives and what isn’t? I look at it from the perspective of what can do I have to do right now vs what can wait, and this changes almost on a moments notice. I do the dishes as soon as I can, although this may seem like something I can wait on, by doing the dishes I don’t accidentally lose a spoon or fork in the garbage disposal and the cats aren’t rummaging in the kitchen sink for snacks, plus its the sign of a clean home, i prioritize this as as an immediate need because it’s one of the things I can do with my limitations. Eventually this will be replaced by vacuuming and mowing my lawn both of which are my favorite house hold chores.

This lesson has been brought into more clarity recently as I am dealing with all of the issues related to my recovery as well as my eventual surgery to repair my pelvis. I have a to do list that I am working on some of the things I am quite simply scared of doing, things like writing out in clear English what to do if things go sideways again. I have complete faith in Mrs. Zm to handle shit like the rockstar she is, but I think she will be more comfortable with a 3 ring binder with clearly labeled tabs and a flow chart on the cover to open to page X if something happens, the humerus side of me wants to put it in a manila envelope with the words open only in case of emergency written in big red letters.

So take care of the things that are fleeting first. If you see dishes that need doing do them even if you know you will be right back. Tell your wife she looks sexy in her baggy sweats with the cat barf on the butt. That super important work assignment will wait ten minutes while you pause to listen to your loved one talk about their day. Driving to get that oil change really can wait till later. In short do not put off for later what you should be doing right now, the outside world will always be there to steal your time, your wife looking smokin hot in her sweat pants is pretty fleeting just like hot french fries.