I admit that I’ve been slacking. I have this one task I have
been avoiding like you wouldn’t believe.
How am I avoiding it?
There are so many excuses.
Like that long list of handcrafts that I intended to make
this year that are sitting beside me mostly untouched. The couple of projects I
had attempted to start don’t even look like I’ve tried. If I finish any of them
it’ll be a miracle.
Or I could get lost in reading a good book. After all, I did
get a pile of brand-new books for Christmas. I also purchased a few others in
the last few months of last year. I was excited to get all of them and have
been looking forward to reading them. But my new physical books are stored with
the rest of my books, untouched. I see my Kindle app every day, but I have not
opened it. Not to read my new books or to finish reading the two or three other
books I’ve started, but not finished.
Of course, there is the rabbit hole known as Facebook, which
has successfully sucked me in most days. But I’ve also figured out how to watch
movies on Netflix, Paramount, and Disney+. I’ve finally seen Brave, Encanto,
and Hidden Figures. I’ve also watched some old favorites such as Moana
and both Princess Diaries movies. I’ve been disappointed to find that
none of these sites offer movies older than about the late 80s unless it’s a remake.
I wanted to watch Cheaper by the Dozen, Yours, Mine, and Ours, and
The Parent Trap but had to jump through hoops to find the original
versions. Because of this, it astounded me to find that the original version of
The Absent-Minded Professor was available. I’m still hoping to find Cocoon,
The Last Starfighter, Batteries Not Included, or even Follow Me Boys
(I have this on DVD but don’t have the means to play it currently.)
I didn’t just watch movies. I’ve watched TV shows as well
since Paramount has all the CBS shows, including old favorites that were off
the air before I entered high school. (No, I have not watched them all, but
they are available if I want to.)
There are also all the things I’ve been putting off as long
as possible. Like the shredding that’s piling so high it’s about to spill all
over the place. Yet, I have not shredded anything in months. Or the fact I didn’t
update my checkbook register for over a month. Okay, so I neglected only one
register, but it was the account we use the most. Yes, I’ve caught up now.
Of course, tax season is upon us, and I always take care of
that as soon as I get the W-2s or 1099s, so early February at the latest. The
fact that I didn’t even attempt to do taxes until the end of February and only
submitted them a couple of weeks ago is telling.
Then there is my writing. You know, the one thing I usually
avoid. I have been tweaking my fantasy for the last couple of months. Generally,
by rewriting a scene or two until I get stuck on exactly how I want to fix it. I’ve
made some nice changes and have been stuck on a scene for a week or so. Hopefully,
I’ll figure it out soon.
My point is that I have been trying seriously hard to avoid
one very unavoidable task. I know it needs done and that there is a time limit
that is running out, but I have had no desire to deal with it. I’m not too far
off. I usually start in late February or early March. But April is cutting it
entirely too close.
My brain is stumbling over all the very real reasons
delaying has the potential to make things difficult if there are any issues.
And having been through all the mess and delays from the COVID shutdowns, they
seem all that more real and possible.
What is this majorly important task that I have been
avoiding?
Gift shopping.
Specifically, getting my son’s birthday gift, but also
starting my Christmas shopping. How can I ever expect to finish by Halloween if
I don’t get started on it by Valentine’s Day? I tell you. I’ll be lucky if I
get it all done by Thanksgiving at this rate.
I have to get it done early so I can get them all wrapped by
Thanksgiving. Partly because I don’t want to stress out through December, but
mostly because I like being surprised. If I wrap them soon enough, I’ve
completely forgotten what I got people until they open them.
Ah well, it’s started now.
Smile. Make the day a brighter day.
No comments:
Post a Comment