We were on the long stretch of I-80, cutting across Nebraska from Denver toward Blockton, Iowa, population 250.  It was a road trip with my parents – filled with diverse topics of conversation, naps, and corn fields.  I left a few days early with them.  Other family members joined us on the farm for the weekend.

In an effort to have some productive time on the road, I charged the laptop and the iPad and prepped my parents regarding my desire to get some writing done on the road.  I lost so many days with my vision blurred by the virus on my corneas, I have a lot of catching up to do.

There is a philosophy and practice that many have adopted for increased productivity: Do what you can when you can.  This mentality gives us encouragement to make the most of the time we’ve been given, but also can give us permission to let go of what we can’t do.

I share the picture of myself typing on a road trip as an encouragement to do what you can when you can, but also as a reminder that we can’t always do it all when we want to.