Thursday, May 26, 2011

Procrastinators Unite...

Why put off til tomorrow what you can put off til next week.  

That's one of my most favorite phrases.  I tend to live my life like that too.  That can be good and bad.  

I'm a last minute person.  If I'm going on a trip, I estimate how long it will take me to pack, add 15 minutes and wait until just before leaving to pack.  I just can't get motivated to do it before I absolutely can't put it off any longer.  Believe me, I've tried to do it in advance but I have a little self-diagnosed ADD going on and I lose my focus if I'm not under the gun.  I do my best work under pressure.  Fortunately, my boss is the same way so we work well together.  It doesn't bother me that he waits til the last minute to do something, I get it. 

I avoid unpleasant tasks until I have no choice but to do them.  I operate under the "ignorance is bliss" theory more than I should.  Sometimes procrastinating pays off, like when I ran my gas tank almost empty only to find that gas actually dropped in price before I filled up (yes, it still happens occasionally!).  Earlier this week, I had a close call after putting something off out of dread and fear that has me rethinking the way I handle things sometimes.

My SUV is very important to me.  It's big and roomy and holds my 3 kids and their stuff quite well.  It has a great sound system that I enjoy immensely when I'm driving down the road alone jamming to big hair bands and singing at the top of my lungs.  Of course, it has a huge dent in one side where I hit a telephone pole at a Cheetah Girls concert, and a dent in the other side where a deer hit me, but the dents give it character.  It's mine, it's shockingly close to being completely paid for and it's the only vehicle in our household that legally will hold our family of 5.  My husband's truck will only seat 3 which means I'm the taxi.  It was making a noise.  It started small, just a little clicking noise.  It got a little louder.  Then I noticed a little jerk when it changed gears.  Then came the clunking sound when it changed gears along with a clicking when I made a sharp turn.  I just knew it was something major but I was in denial.  So I took it for an oil change and asked them to take a peek under there and see if anything looked abnormal.  I wasn't surprised when they called and said, "Your front end is about to fall out."  Yes, they actually said "fall out."  Being the small town that it is, they drove it down to the garage for me and I called the mechanic and asked for an estimate before he started working on it.  I had dollar signs in my brain.  Lots of dollar signs.  My limited mechanical knowledge told me that this wasn't going to be a cheap fix and I was going to have to sell off everything I own to pay to keep it on the road.  The phone rang, caller ID said it was the mechanic, I took a deep breath and prepared for the worst.  $80.10.  Only $80.10!!  Relieved doesn't quite cover it.  Jumping out of my chair was more like it.  It was that very moment that I had an epiphany...when I put of something I dread, it's never as bad as I imagine it will be.  Simple and uninspiring, but it gave me something to work toward when I put something off.  In the case of packing for a trip, I put it off because I do it better at the last minute.  No harm done really unless you count an occasional forgotten toothbrush or deodorant.  But my truck could have been bad.  The front end could've actually fallen out when I was driving down the road.  I think I must be more selective in what I put off for tomorrow. 

My darling boy graduated from kindergarten on Monday.  I managed to make it through the 2nd song before I had tears.  I choked them back.  He is precious and he is growing up too fast.  Last night, he came in our room after bedtime and before me or my husband could say anything he said, "It's ok.  I can make my own pallet."  He refuses to sleep alone.  Last night, he told us he was lonely when he went to sleep by himself.  He doesn't have to sleep with someone, just in the same room.  And so, for now, he sleeps in our floor, with his sisters or on the couch with the dogs. 

1 comment:

  1. Came across you on Melissa's blog, she is a new friend from a conference and the name of your blog caught my attention. - Great name!
    Graduation, moving house, being sick - you sure have had it going on. Hoping for a fab week for you, an easy move - and great health :)

    btw
    I run a bunch of link ups if you want to make some friends - you can link your blog or twitter if you don't have FB, I don't mind)

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