My Not-So-Secret Character Flaw

I intended to write this blog yesterday, but. . . .

Yes, that is it. The character flaw.

I am a Procrastinator.

It is not that I never get anything done; it is that I often don't get certain things done in a timely manner. And it is so easy to put things off. At this stage of life I really have very few things I must answer to or meet a timeline on. As a senior citizen, retired, and widowed, who do I have to answer to but myself? And myself is pretty easygoing about some things!

From birth forward, much of life has an imposed structure: parental rules and oversight, school (16 years of it in my case), jobs, marriage, child rearing, involvement in activities and responsibilities such as church or civic activities, and so on and so on. One by one, most of these structured items drop off as time goes by. We grow up and finish schooling. We leave home and become adults no longer under our parents' rule. Our children grow up and leave home. Marriage ends. Age sucks out our energy.

As the external structures drop away, what is left? Self-directed and imposed structure. Which can be very, very simple.

And, so, back to my original statement: I am a procrastinator. I've always been that way by nature, but life had always had those exterior motivators, requirements, and responsibilities that kept me moving. Now, I am my own motivator, and that often means that I am just motivated to do whatever I feel like doing! Here is what that often is:

This is what I spend many wonderful hours doing.

This is what is in my hand. Most of my reading these day is on my Kindle. I love "real"
books, but with my vision problems the Kindle is easier for me. And I can have a whole library on one little device, which is a good thing--my bookshelves are full!

Reading has always been my favorite pastime, indeed, I would say that it is a positive necessity for me. But, sometimes I do need to put down the book and take care of other things! Not that reading is my only pastime, it is just the lifelong passion.

I am happy to report that yesterday I finally finished some things that have been languishing on my desk for months. I had a number of photographic items, both of family history and more recent events, that I had promised to different family members. The projects were mostly done. Why hadn't I finished them? (Shrug.) Can't say; just hadn't sat myself down to get it done. So I finally took myself in hand Thursday, finished printing out the items that needed to be printed, sorted and copied to a flash drive the things I had promised in that format, made up the packets, and got them to the Post Office and mailed on Friday.

And I felt like I had shed a burden. That is the consequence of procrastination--that constant little niggling pressure in the back of the mind because of unfinished business.

The problem is, I have at least four or five other projects I have started and are, as yet, unfinished.

I'm sure I'll get to them one of these days!