thoughtful thursday

today was a day in which it was necessary to be focused on the task at hand; preparing for travel in the early morning.  as usual, there was a lot that had to be accomplished with those tasks that cannot be done until the day before leaving.  as i worked through the to-do list, the telephone rang.  the caller id revealed that it was a long distance call from a friend that needs a great deal of my time when she calls. reluctantly i picked up the phone and offered a resigned hello.  as she talked, i told myself to relax and just listen without the nagging "i still have so much to do!" tugging in the back of my mind.  after more than an hour, she was "full" and said goodbye.  her mood was much improved at the end of the call than when the call began.  i could have ignored the call as caller id offers options about answering or not answering the telephone.  i could have ignored her and continued with my planned day.  however, finishing my tasks on a busy day, even with the detour of giving her my full attention, went just as efficiently as had i ignored the phone call. besides completing my tasks, i helped ease someone's way. having accomplished both made for a more complete and satisfying day.  i'm very glad i picked up the telephone and said hello.