--- title: "Small Success Thursday: Rinse and Repeat" description: What small successes are you celebrating this week? Join the fun and get some encouragement, too! Sherry Antonetti hosts this fun weekly feature. --- [![catholic-mom-logo-v2](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/images/catholic-mom-logo-v2.svg "catholic-mom-logo-v2")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) [![search-icon](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/search-icon.svg)](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2015/10/08/small-success-thursday-rinse-and-repeat#) # Small Success Thursday: Rinse and Repeat Oct 8, 2015 8:00:34 AM  |  by [Sherry Antonetti](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/sherry-antonetti) [![Small Success dark gold outline 800x800](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Small-Success-dark-gold-outline-800x8001-400x400-10.png?width=400&height=400&name=Small-Success-dark-gold-outline-800x8001-400x400-10.png)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Small-Success-dark-gold-outline-800x8001-15.png)Every day I write a list. Every day, the list contains my hopes. If someone looked at my planner, three items never change: exercise, write, and pray. Whether one praised the consistency of effort, (or at least, aspirations) or perceived a Sisyphean struggle, I write into the list: exercise, write and pray. Somehow, tinkering with that mini trinity of priorities strikes me as surrendering personhood, abandoning the horse, the driver and the chariot of thought for devolving into someone less challenging with no drive or direction. Staying at home with children for twenty-two years, the months and weeks merge into each other, and I forget whole swaths of time, because the stitching in them, remains too similar. Exercise, write, pray, the list demands variety. Sometimes I run, other times I box. Sometimes I write poetry, but mostly essays. The rosary changes from day to day, and thus distinctions between Mondays and Thursdays exist, on the page and in reality. On occasion, I forget to write a list. Those days fall into the cracks of my memory, with little done and less remembered. Those days injure my capacity to start over the day following. Those days scare me. Those days reveal quitting as an ever possible outcome; so I return to my planner and write exercise, write, pray, (even if the day ended), as a form of defiance of a defeated day.   The list reminds me to pay attention to my body, mind and soul, even as I try to take care of the house and the dry cleaning, the car and the laundry. This past week's small successes include: 1. Returning to the gym. (I know, it's not enough to put it on the list, I have to go). 2. Returning to praying with more consistency. (again, see above). 3. Restarting work on a writing project, trying to take it more seriously. Thanks for sticking with me even though I don't always stick to my list. I hope this week, you had some great small successes to share! [inlinkz_linkup id=567959 mode=1] Copyright 2015 Sherry Antonetti. ### Share this article [![Share on Facebook](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/facebook-24x24.png)](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2015%2F10%2F08%2Fsmall-success-thursday-rinse-and-repeat%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook) [![Share on Twitter](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/twitter-24x24.png)](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2015%2F10%2F08%2Fsmall-success-thursday-rinse-and-repeat%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2015%2F10%2F08%2Fsmall-success-thursday-rinse-and-repeat%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dtwitter&source=tweetbutton&text=Small%20Success%20Thursday%3A%20Rinse%20and%20Repeat) [![Share on Email](https://static.hubspot.com/final/img/common/icons/social/email-24x24.png)](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2015%2F10%2F08%2Fsmall-success-thursday-rinse-and-repeat%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.catholicmom.com%2Farticles%2F2015%2F10%2F08%2Fsmall-success-thursday-rinse-and-repeat%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail) ** #### About the Author ![Sherry Antonetti](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/Sherry%20Antonetti.jpg) ### [Sherry Antonetti](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/author/sherry-antonetti) Sherry Antonetti is a freelance writer, high school teacher and a blogger at Patheos. She and her husband live in Maryland with nine of their ten children and a puppy named Pumpkin. [**](https://twitter.com/sherryantonetti) ## Related Blog Articles [ Small Success: A Not-So-Gentle Reminder Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2016/10/13/small-success-not-gentle-reminder) [ Small Success Thursday: Rest for My Soul Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2015/09/03/small-success-thursday-rest-for-my-soul) [ Small Success Thursday...Road Trip Read ](https://www.catholicmom.com/articles/2015/06/18/small-success-thursday-road-trip) ## Comments ## Donate now [![Support Catholic Mom](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275132/10016573-1c5c-4aa5-baba-c2ac91fe7545) [![CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)](https://www.catholicmom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png?width=1806&height=731&name=CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c%20(002).png "CatholicMom_hcfm_logo1_pos_871c_2728c (002)")](https://www.catholicmom.com/) ##### Subscribe to Catholic Momcast on iTunes or Spotify [![itunes-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/itunes-logo-black.svg)](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/catholic-momcast/id1362352357)[![spotify-logo-black](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/logos/spotify-logo-black.svg)](https://open.spotify.com/show/15CoipHL7z61IDcYErV0b8?si=hqaQJSxDQgq7S1hxCwsoxQ) ##### CatholicMom on Social Networks [![facebook](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-facebook.svg)](http://www.facebook.com/CatholicMomCommunity) [![twitter](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-twitter.svg)](http://twitter.com/CatholicMomCom) [![instagram](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-instagram.svg)](http://instagram.com/catholicmomcommunity) [![youtube](https://www.catholicmom.com/hubfs/_catholicmom/icons/social-icon-youtube.svg)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAuUqHCVPDzyMgSMaMZxxug?view_as=subscriber) ##### About Catholic Mom [Who We Are](https://www.catholicmom.com/about-us) [Contact Us](https://www.catholicmom.com/contact) [Support CatholicMom.com](https://www.catholicmom.com/support-us)   ##### Associated Links [Holy Cross Family Ministries](https://www.hcfm.org/) [Family Rosary](https://www.familyrosary.org/) [Family Theater Productions](https://www.familytheater.org/) [Congregation of the Holy Cross](https://www.holycrossusa.org/) [Father Patrick Peyton, C.S.C.](https://www.fatherpeyton.org/) [The Peyton Institute for Domestic Church Life](https://www.peytonfamilyinstitute.org/) ### **Stay connected!** Don’t miss a thing! 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