I sat and tried to meditate but could not get the thoughts of all the work that I have to do out of my head.  The paper that is due next week floated by; the presentation that I have to prepare for my talk at my alma mater stomped on in; the readings beyond readings that I have to do for my classes at school stumbled in, and the band went marching on.  I grew frustrated that I could not relax my mind or shut it off from yelling at me.  I reflected on my frustration and then remembered what Sharon said about listening to the thoughts that entered our minds and reflecting on what they are telling us. Then, I realized that the reason why all those worry-thoughts entered my head was because I had not yet put them down anywhere.  So, I stopped my meditation, wrote down everything that was on my mind, and then I started meditating again.  When I started back again, I was able to meditate more peacefully because I was not obsessing over everything that I needed to get done.  I had written them down and realized the reason why I was so anxious was because I was keeping my list of things-to-do in my head instead of writing them down.  What a difference!  I was able to meditate and find some peace and quiet!