I'm a list maker, a planner. Every Sunday evening I make a list of the things that need to get done during the week. That way I wake up on Monday with a sense for what my day will hold. Yeah, I know - the best planned weeks are generally the ones that unravel at the seams, but at least with my roadmap in hand, I feel better equipped to handle what's to come.

Except today. For whatever reason, today's to-do list had me in a total tizzy. The longer I stared at the computer, the more elusive the words became. The more I typed, the more I deleted.

So what's a girl to do? Change the spinning gears. 

Since today was Columbus Day, the hubby was home. And mother nature was cooperating with a lovely fall day. So on came the padded shorts and out of the basement came the bike.

For the first 45 minutes of our ride I was consumed with not becoming a hood ornament. But then we branched off and wound our way through the country roads. The birds were singing, the road was mostly empty and a smattering of trees were showing the first signs of Fall colors. I even got mooed at by a cow (is that the country version of a cat call?).

For the next hour we rode. My legs turned and my brain churned. I was relaxing into the rhythm and suddenly the plot line that had been plaguing me was unrolling like the fields on either side and the newsletter that I couldn't quite get my arms around was taking shape. By the time we turned back toward home I was once again focusing on not joining the bugs on the front grills of passing cars. But despite my death grip on the handlebars and the fact that my lower half was mostly numb by this point, my brain was still turning over the work.

This morning I'd worked myself up over the things that needed to get done. With a good dose of "keep it simple stupid" (i.e., keep your eyes on the road and pedal for your life!) I was able to clear the clutter and let my brain do what needed to be done.

I may not be able to walk for a few days, but those projects don't look as scary anymore.