Most of the time, the phrase “I’ll do it tomorrow!” gets put off, and off, and off again. Our children, with reports due in two weeks, put it off and then scrambled to get it in on time. But I’m not going to write about the kids; instead, I’ll focus on the adults stuck in the Procrastination Room.
Recently, a wonderful friend said, “I am thinking about moving closer to my children. I dream of building a small cottage where I can tend a little garden.”
I replied, “Sweetheart, you’re in your late seventies. How much longer do you have to ‘think’?”
She laughed at my response, but her cottage will never be built on dreams and thoughts.
We can’t put off life, nor ignore time. We don’t need to be in our seventies or eighties to understand that tomorrow is, at best, iffy. Thoughts and plans only become reality when they come out of our brains and into our hands.
I always wanted to write. I didn’t put it off, but knew I ought to do it before it was too late. Let me put it this way: there is no way I could have fed my children on words; they required potato chips and meals.
But the minute I put my career in the closet, I pulled the keyboard out. Time was wasting. I may do many things that fall under the category of “not good”, but idling in neutral is not my style.
Time eventually runs out, and their talent fades away.
It drives me nuts when folks say, “I need to exercise or walk,” and then don’t do it. They usually wind up unable to physically do much except rise out of their recliners.
How many talented people have not finished a painting or completed that novel they started in college? Yet, they desired to do so but kept putting it off. Time eventually runs out, and their talent fades away.
When we postpone chores, they tend to accumulate. Dust doesn’t disappear on its own, but it sure can settle on our hands if we remain inactive.
As an interior designer, I encountered many couples who struggled to create a pleasant home environment because they delayed making decisions. By the time they finally chose a new sofa, it was close to the time they needed to downsize to a retirement home that could only accommodate a loveseat – and of course, the recliner.
When there is a class or family reunion, some will say, “I’ll attend the next one.” Now, how do they know there will be a ‘next’ one or that they will be alive to attend it? Sometimes, there is only one opportunity to see old friends or enjoy meeting the new baby born in the family.
“Tomorrow, I am going to write my congressman!” He said in earnest after he read a column about a political decision he disagreed with.
When I saw him a few weeks later, I asked, “Did you write your representative in Congress?”
“Shucks, I meant to but never got around to doing it.” He replied as he lowered his head.
I walked away thinking that if we don’t speak up, our voices are lost. If we don’t become involved, how do we strengthen our nation for our children?
My brother was terminally ill, and he was acutely aware that his time was limited. For a period, he required oxygen after suffering from pneumonia. The oxygen tank was in the den at one end of his single-story home, while his main bedroom was situated at the opposite end. The hose attached to the tank ran the entire length of the house.
Move until we can’t and make dreams become reality.
His wife was out of town for a few days, and I traveled to Tennessee to stay with him. One morning, I heard a noise at about 1 a.m. I called John’s name, but he didn’t answer, and I couldn’t find him.
Scared, I grabbed the oxygen hose from the den and followed it until it stopped.
“What the heck are you doing, brother?!”
At 1 a.m., he sat on the floor wearing a headset, listening to music and holding a screwdriver while changing the electrical plugs in the bedroom.
“Why are you doing this now!” I frustratingly uttered.
“Well, I couldn’t sleep, and there is much to do. I don’t want to leave things undone for my wife to deal with after my time runs out.”
I’ll never forget that moment nor the man who just had to ‘get it done.’
That may be the day when I realized we all need to tackle the things we have put off. Move until we can’t and make dreams become reality. And once our work is done, we can relax on our cottage’s porch and watch flowers grow in the garden.
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Lynn Walker Gendusa is a Tennessee-raised, Georgia-residing author and columnist. Her latest book is “Southern Comfort: Stories of Family, Friendship, Fiery Trials, and Faith.” She can be reached at www.lynngendusa.com. For more of her inspirational stories, click here.
