I was sitting here with my back resolutely turned against the crystalline, intricately crafted ice pieces that were not so much falling from the sky as floating like dust motes caught in sunbeams while I wondered about procrastination and if it benefits or hinders. I decided both. I think it depends on the situation.
For instance, just this morning (December 7) I remembered that Home Depot has a turn-in-old-strings-of-Christmas-lights and we'll-give-you-a-coupon-towards-new-LED-lights. Apparently I should say "had", as that particular offering ended November 17.
November 17th?
That's my brother's birthday.
That's the week before Thanksgiving.
Who has their stuff out and checked and decorated and organized for Christmas the week before Thanksgiving?! And why can I never seem to be one of those people?
I am sitting here now in brilliant sunshine (and so is Triskal, at my feet) with 5 strings of half-dead (yes, only "mostly dead, which is not quite all dead") Christmas lights which now will not do me any good in my decorating needs but will also not earn me any coupons towards shiny new ones, because the powers that be decided that it'd be a good idea to run the exchange for a week and a half before the holiday that happens on the calendar before the holiday that lights are needed.
What!?
Hmm.
Maybe that doesn't even count as an example of procrastination. I didn't put off decorating. I simply did it in what I feel to be a timely fashion. That means I didn't start decorating for Christmas while the back-to-school supplies were still in the stores. I guess even that isn't accurate, since the Halloween stuff is displayed at stores at back-to-school time.
I get that planning ahead is important, but good gracious, things are getting out of hand.
I've noticed that if certain shorter people in our home leave their belongings strewn from Hither to Yon, there are times when I'll pick them up out of disgust, frustration, annoyance, a weak moment, an inspired to clean moment, or any/all of the above. In cases that like, procrastination on their part works out to their advantage. "I put it off, so Mama took care of it. I win!" I do try to not be the weak link and to make them clean up after themselves most of the time. After all, I don't want their future college roommates or spouses to hate them for leaving a swath of destruction in their wakes. I get that it builds character or empathy or something. More immediately, if their favorite pants get worn for 4 days and miss making it into the laundry basket, they won't get washed with everything else and then they won't have said pants for the next 4 days until I do laundry again. Mama wins!
Oh wait, not supposed to be about keeping score.
Right.
Obviously, procrastinating with issues like bills tends to have negative consequences. Same thing with homework. But nothing will truly be hurt if I leave disgusting dishes in the sink while I play with play doh with our youngest whirling dervish. The clean, wet towels can, on occasion, stay in the washer overnight if I forget to toss them into the dryer before bed.
Decorating for Christmas can wait until Thanksgiving is over and has been fully enjoyed, every drop of blessings squeezed out of it.
After all, Lowe's will still recycle the Christmas lights that don't work. They just don't give coupons.
1 comment:
Well don't hate me, but we had all of our Christmas decorations up before Thanksgiving. I tested my lights, got them put outside and then when I went to light them up (post-thanksgiving) some weren't working! UGH! So I did get them up early, but some are being difficult! There is times when they all actually work at the same time. :)
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