By Katie Rea — spiritual director, writer, and companion for those listening deeply to life as it is.

Has anyone else experienced a day like this?

I sat down at my desk and looked at my list of to‑do items. Ironically, it was a list I had forgotten I even wrote. It was my attempt to remember my priorities for the week.

One of the big tasks was creating a slideshow for the Daughters of the King exhibit booth. I needed to get this done by the end of January, as the annual Episcopal convention was approaching. I remembered using PowerPoint last time. I wondered whether I needed to use it again. Were there better options? So I opened Google to explore. Instead of the search engine, I clicked on a decluttering article that had caught my attention.

Of course I did.

I read the first paragraph about clearing your space and prioritizing what matters most. Naturally, I decided to put the advice into practice right then and there. I emptied every drawer in my desk, pulled things out of my file cabinets, and got to work. Before I knew it, I had reorganized my entire office. Feeling quite accomplished, I went back to finish the article and suddenly remembered, “Oh right, the slideshow!”

Then the texts started.

One person needed information, so I looked it up and sent it over. Another had a “task within a task” question that took longer. That reminded me of emails I needed to send. I opened my inbox and promptly got distracted by sales. Newsletters and links to shiny things also caught my eye.

Oh! The slideshow.

I opened my photos to look for DOK pictures. I stumbled across images I could use for Wisdom Tree Collective. I also found some for my spiritual direction page. So I started sorting those. I was finally settling into slideshow mode. Then my husband, working from home, came in to say he was taking his lunch break. Naturally, I joined him for his hour-long pause.

Then my daughter texted. She said she had a ride home from school. She needed to stay late for an activity. We chatted back and forth during her lunch break to make sure she had everything she needed.

Another text came in from someone who needed answers about a project we’re working on together.

Back at my computer, I saw something about Disney+ and remembered a new episode had just dropped. I checked, and sure enough, there it was. So I watched it while tinkering with social media posts and a few other things.

Everything except the slideshow. Or anything else on my list for the day.

But hey, my workspace is now clean…

If your brain takes the scenic route like mine, what twists and turns did it take you on today?

A Newsletter by Katie Rea.