The Procrastinator

 Posted on December 12, 2022 by Ruchi

Cold winds from the Arctic have pushed over to England. The United Kingdom has had the coldest December over the last few days. Thursday morning, we woke up to see frost covering the cars, the roads, rooftops, shrubs, and trees. Autumn had already ripped the trees off the leaves. They were no longer green or orange and not even brown. The branches were all white as if Elsa had touched them. I saw the first snow of the season, and although it’s been colder, I’m in awe of the cosmos. The changing colours from green to orange to brown and then to white. Who says that only the chameleons are apt at camouflage? Nature can change the landscape overnight, and humans have never been behind, transforming our skins from being the most trusted to the vilest as it suits the demands.

The most challenging task in winter is pulling ourselves out of bed after we wake up. I struggle and waste almost half an hour each day, gathering my energy to get out of the warm quilt. The switch for heating is in the next room, and though it will be just a few minutes before the temperature will be up, the inertia pulls me and lures me to the bed for longer than I intend. “Procrastination” is the apt term. I am just delaying the inevitable. I will have to get out of bed sooner rather than later, but I tend to wait until I can no more. I decided last month to write and post a blog every Sunday. The procrastinator in me kept thinking the entire day until it was too late. My guilty conscience was gnawing at me the whole day today for having missed the day. Better late than never, so here I am a day later, trying to gather my thoughts and form a meaningful post.

Ever since we moved out of India, I knew that my Indian education would not give me leverage for a better opportunity. I had to improve my credentials. Yet, it took me two years to start the process. When I cleared Step 1, the pessimist in me felt it was by fluke. Had it not been for my hubby pushing me, I would have delayed the next step too. However, when I look around, most of us name these excuses, not having enough time, family commitments, children, husband, wife, etc.

There are two sides to the coin. For some people, this apparent delay gives them time to think and organize. Some of the most creative personalities have been procrastinators. When I look at my son, the daily tussle of waking and getting him ready for school gives me high blood pressure, yet he takes his own sweet time, slowly completing the tasks. I like being ahead of time, yet he tends to enjoy and take it easy. The generation gap ?? or just who has to pay the bills ??

“… I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours. I love to keep it by me: the idea of getting rid of it nearly breaks my heart.”

Jerome K. Jerome in “Three Men In A Boat (To Say Nothing of the Dog)“