Hey, what’s the hurry?

This past weekend I spent much of Sunday in my office, which happens to be one of my favorite rooms. In this room I pay bills and work on taxes, mend clothing, as well as spend time on the computer, but I also spend time in the office doing one of my favorite things, scrapbooking.

So, it makes sense to keep all thing scrapbooking or keepsake related in this room, because, who knows, I may scrapbook it one day. Anyhow, while I was dusting I came across a small pile of papers from high school and college. Now before any of you jump the gun and assume that I am now a hoarder, I only had one paper from high school. It was my research paper that I completed my junior year in high school. 1984. Yes, it was typed with a typewriter, and the pages were yellowing. It wasn’t my best work. I received a “C” on the paper from my much beloved English teacher, Mr. John Bowman. He left lots of critical comments all over that paper. You might think that the comments have no bearing on my life today, but in fact, they are a reflection of a malady that has plagued me my whole life.

I procrastinate. You know, “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today” and all that. Well, I do put it off. I dilly-dally. I drag my feet and hesitate every chance I get. Seeing that research paper reminded me that this character trait is something that I have been trying to change for over 40 years, but to no avail. You see, I kept putting off doing the parts of the research paper and then ran around like a chicken with its head cut-off, trying to meet the deadline. It’s amazing that I can still remember what it felt like to disappoint myself (not to mention Mr. Bowman) 28 years ago by not really applying myself to this assignment.

However, you’d think that after 28 years this would be something I should have mastered. Don’t get me wrong, the things that are important aren’t an issue. The only time I forgot to pay a bill was when I momentarily lost my mind while grieving for a parent. I never wait to feed the humans or the animals in my house, and we always have clean laundry. I don’t keep rescheduling my dental appointments, I go like a good girl. I even make sure I don’t put off my man-0-grams. I am good about going to see my Mom on a regular basis, too.

I have invested in numerous tools to help me remember things that I forget or procrastinate on. I have a weekly planner, which I found out does you no good if you don’t ever open it. There are calendars all over my house that have people’s birthdays on them, but again, they only work if you look at the calendar.

Seriously, I should just buy belated birthday cards. I never get around to sending them on time. That was another thing I found this weekend. A card I purchased for specifically for someone who passed away last year. (No, I couldn’t use it for someone else, it was addressed to my Godmother, in German)

I am also terrible about returning phone calls, thinking “I’ll do it tomorrow”. Then, before you can say “Sam Hill” it’s been a month and I still haven’t returned the call.

Guess what, this blog is another example of my procrastination! I am supposed to publish every Wednesday, and here I am, typing away on Tuesday night!

So, I guess this is my little prayer…

Dear God,  Please make me better at getting things done even if the deadline isn’t critical. Help me to remember these things because it makes others feel important and makes me feel (and look) less like a flake. Remind me to send notes and make calls in a timely fashion and remind me that they don’t have to be long, just long enough to let them know I am thinking of them. I am sure that there is more I could use your help on, but I’ll have to get back to you tomorrow. Amen