A while ago, okay more than a while, it more like a lot of years ago, I heard a story being told.  Seems there was this doctor who thought he was a bit bigger than life. He had a tendency to occasionally let his head get a tad bit too big. You know the type, couldn’t fit through a door because of the size of that head! I venture to say we probably all know someone like that. If you say you don’t know anyone that fits that description, there is a distinct possibility that you are this type of person. Stepping along…

Well this doctor was having trouble with a phone in his office.  The line to his private phone in his inner sanctum office had a bit of a scratchy sound to it. Not a big deal, but to him it was in need of immediate attention-but only after hours. Couldn’t have a repairman in his office during business hours for goodness sakes.  So he procrastinated in calling the phone company until evening. Well he didn’t actually call the company. He knew the local phone guy and called him at home one evening and requested—well in his overly important voice told the phone guy to drop everything and get to his office and fix that oh so very important phone line. After all, he was a doctor and needed that phone fixed-right now!

The phone guy, a surly but quick witted man who had a few scotch and sodas under his belt on this particular evening while at home relaxing, listened to the rants of the doctor and then as pretty as you please says to him, “Give it two aspirins and call me in the morning,” and click he hung up the phone. Priceless huh?

Now I tell you that story for two reasons. First I think it is funny. But more to the point because it shows that procrastination runs in us all and I think it is human nature to expect our procrastination to be fixed by someone else. But in my world my procrastination is my own darn problem.

I am sometimes, not all the time mind you, but sometimes I can be a pro-crastinator. Oh you have to get up pretty early in the morning to let things slide as well as I can. I’m not talking just leaving the dinner dishes until morning. Which I have done but not very often as I really don’t like to wake up and trottle, yes trottle-meaning to scuff those feet along until coffee has entered into my system. I don’t like to trottle into the kitchen in the morning and get smacked in the face with the smell of last night’s meatloaf. Yuck.

No the pro part of my pro-crastination goes deeper than that. Like bill paying. I don’t really mind paying bills. I don’t like it but, I create bills, I need to pay bills. I buy, therefore I am woman, right? Anyway. I am not sure exactly when it happened but I have begun to leave this task until the eleventh hour. I used to get a bill, and pay it the same day. Zip, bam, boom done. But recently I have found I am leaving piles of mail on the breakfast bar counter until I don’t have room to put my evening plate of cookies and glass of milk until I move all that stuff. I have become a pro-crastinator. Que the heavy handed music.

A side note to the gal I talked to at Power Company, I really did mail the check in time! I may be slow, but not late. That is not in my DNA!

There are a multitude of things in life to procrastinate over. I still haven’t washed my windows this year. But fall is on the horizon, maybe I’ll let it go now until next spring.  I mowed the lawn but didn’t do the trimming. Ah it’ll wait until next week… I’m sitting here looking at the dust that has accumulated on our printer. A dark gray printer, that sits just at eye level, dusty as you please. I’ll get to it-tomorrow. But the big difference between me being a pro-crastinator and me being a lazy butt? I notice that I am procrastinating and eventually I do the things I put off until later, or tomorrow or next spring. Hey if I didn’t, eventually I wouldn’t even be able to see out the windows. And I have a great view of Diamond Mountain that I really like.  Okay I’m going to get the Windex out, uh in a few minutes.

Once a pro, always a pro. Living in Nevada I guess I shouldn’t throw the description, “Pro” around!

 

Trina lives in Eureka, Nevada. Her book ITY BITS can be found on Kindle. Share with her at itybytrina@yahoo.com