Always ... But Not Usually
Sunday, November 4, 2007 at 10:45PM I always plan to get stuff done long before it absolutely has to be done, but I usually don't end up doing it until the last minute. My daughter Erica and I were discussing this yesterday as we sat on opposite sides of my desk, "working." My project was to finish typing a transcript that's due the middle of next week. Hers was, of course, a never-ending loop of assignments for school. I operate on semi-tight deadlines and so does she. We discovered yesterday that she most likely inherited the procrastination gene from me, as we both have a tendency to work more efficiently when we are right "up against" a deadline rather than so far from it that there is no real urgency to complete the task. Speaking only for myself, I always want to get it done early and move on to something else, but the reality is that I am not usually able to prevail over the things that crowd in and distract me. Ergo, things generally get done at the final knell of the eleventh hour.
What was distracting me yesterday was the mere fact that Erica was home. She is always a very real part of our family and our lives, but since she has been away at college, she is not usually that much of a distraction. Yesterday morning I was at my desk, dutifully typing, but the whole time I was wondering where Erica was in the house and what she was doing. Eventually I went to find her, and we decided to make scrambled eggs and drink coffee together. So we did, and while we were doing that we watched part of an old movie. Then we began discussing clothes and makeup and assorted related topics, and there might have even been a little bitty bit of gossip thrown in there, and before I knew it an hour had gone by. "I need to get back to work," I said to Erica. I suggested that she bring her laptop to my office and work on her assignments there in the room with me, where I could see her.
I cleared off a space for her on my desk and she dragged a chair from the kitchen so she'd have something to sit in. She set up her machine and unplugged my cell phone charger so she could have power when her battery waned. I continued typing, but I was aware of her over there, pretending to work. She was not fooling me one bit. Next thing I knew, I was saying: "Hey Erica, have you seen the new Sweeney Todd trailers?" Her eyes got real big. "No," she said. She came around to my side of the desk and we watched the trailers a couple of times. She went back to her side and we "worked" for a while. I might have transcribed half a page of testimony before Javier scratched at the door, wanting to come in from outside. Erica got up to let him in. He was being cute, and for the next five to ten minutes we played with him and talked about him and just generally goofed off with him. "Hey Erica," I said. "Have you seen the Web site The Daily Puppy? "No," she said ... so she came around to my side of the desk again, and we looked at pictures of several adorable puppies before getting back to "work."
My husband was outside cleaning the pool. He came in. "Hey," he said. "Did David's phone ever work again after he washed it in the washing machine?" He was referring to our nephew, who visited with us recently. David had a spiffy new phone which he'd had to buy when he laundered his old one, effectively sending it down the drain. "No; why?" we asked my husband. "Because I just dropped mine in the pool," he said. Erica urged her dad to hie himself over to the phone store before it closed and get himself a new model, because once dropped in water, cell phones seldom recover. Although we are always free with our advice, he does not usually heed it, so we were pleasantly shocked when he immediately obeyed. We celebrated by listening to a few songs from our new Josh Groban Christmas CD, then got back to "work."
Need I tell you that neither Erica nor I got a great deal accomplished yesterday? But today we did! After church and Sunday dinner we went to the mall, where we are always anxious to go but not usually able to ... at least not together. We looked at shoes, purses, jewelry, clothes, and makeup. We looked at the stuff we always want but are not usually able to buy. Tomorrow we'll spend the day together and Tuesday she'll go back to school. I'll watch her drive away, which always makes me wistful but which usually does not make me cry. There's always next time ... and it's not usually very far away.
Reader Comments (2)
Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. 'Don Marquis'
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Today is a gift - have fun. 'Dustin, Aged 11'
I like Dustin and your way best.
Yep! We've got the hang of this thing and so do you! LOL!