Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Freewriting -- 2/21/07 -- 11:27am
What is my best personality trait? Probably, a few years ago, I would have said my work ethic. For most of my life, I've considered myself a really hard worker, and was recognized as such by the people around me, not just in academics, but in the "real" world as well. Nowadays, I don't feel like a particularly hard worker. I'm more apt to put something that needs to be done off until tomorrow than I am to do it. I'm not sure what's changed, but something certainly has. Maybe it's a function of age; I'm not old, 37 to be exact, but I just don't feel the same pressure to perform that I used to. If something's left undone for a day, week, or sometimes a month, it really doesn't bother me. I still haven't picked up the branches that fell during the ice storm we had a few months back, even though my wife has been pestering me about doing it for the same amount of time. I keep waiting for the "right" time -- hehe -- you know, a day that's not too hot, but also not too cold, and it should also be sunny, and the ground should be dry, but there also can't be other things on my list of thigns to do because picking up sticks inevitably is last on my list so if I have other things on my list, it's very likely that by the time I get to "picking up sticks", I'll already have done enough for the day and feel a sense of personal accomplishment and fulfillment.
What a joke. All these excuses, and none of them worthwhile. I did not used to make excuses for things, I just did them. When did these excuses slide into my lifestyle? This is a legitimate question on my part. Maybe excuses defines laziness? Maybe being lazy means making excuses for everything all the time.
"Why didn't you pick up milk?!? I've asked you twice this week to stop by Schnucks and buy a gallon of milk!"
"Well, honey, you see, it's goes something like this . . . . I had to stop by Darrell's on my way home from work because he wanted me to help him move his armoire, and by the time I was finished with him, it was late, and I needed to get home so you wouldn't worry, and Schnucks was out of my way, and the traffic on Carlyle during late afternoon is terrible, with all the kids getting out of school and all, so I just came home instead, but, I promise, tomorrow, I'll stop and pick up milk :)"
I've got all kinds of excuses for why I don't walk my dogs every day. It's too cold, too late, too wet, too hot, I'm too tired, I have laundry to finish, I'm bored, there's something good on TV, I need to practice guitar, clean my bathroom, they both got enough exercise outside today, if I take Harrison, Hap will be mad (and vice-versa), and so on.
Excuses, so many excuses, and so much energy spent on making up new ones. Crazy.
What is my best personality trait? Probably, a few years ago, I would have said my work ethic. For most of my life, I've considered myself a really hard worker, and was recognized as such by the people around me, not just in academics, but in the "real" world as well. Nowadays, I don't feel like a particularly hard worker. I'm more apt to put something that needs to be done off until tomorrow than I am to do it. I'm not sure what's changed, but something certainly has. Maybe it's a function of age; I'm not old, 37 to be exact, but I just don't feel the same pressure to perform that I used to. If something's left undone for a day, week, or sometimes a month, it really doesn't bother me. I still haven't picked up the branches that fell during the ice storm we had a few months back, even though my wife has been pestering me about doing it for the same amount of time. I keep waiting for the "right" time -- hehe -- you know, a day that's not too hot, but also not too cold, and it should also be sunny, and the ground should be dry, but there also can't be other things on my list of thigns to do because picking up sticks inevitably is last on my list so if I have other things on my list, it's very likely that by the time I get to "picking up sticks", I'll already have done enough for the day and feel a sense of personal accomplishment and fulfillment.
What a joke. All these excuses, and none of them worthwhile. I did not used to make excuses for things, I just did them. When did these excuses slide into my lifestyle? This is a legitimate question on my part. Maybe excuses defines laziness? Maybe being lazy means making excuses for everything all the time.
"Why didn't you pick up milk?!? I've asked you twice this week to stop by Schnucks and buy a gallon of milk!"
"Well, honey, you see, it's goes something like this . . . . I had to stop by Darrell's on my way home from work because he wanted me to help him move his armoire, and by the time I was finished with him, it was late, and I needed to get home so you wouldn't worry, and Schnucks was out of my way, and the traffic on Carlyle during late afternoon is terrible, with all the kids getting out of school and all, so I just came home instead, but, I promise, tomorrow, I'll stop and pick up milk :)"
I've got all kinds of excuses for why I don't walk my dogs every day. It's too cold, too late, too wet, too hot, I'm too tired, I have laundry to finish, I'm bored, there's something good on TV, I need to practice guitar, clean my bathroom, they both got enough exercise outside today, if I take Harrison, Hap will be mad (and vice-versa), and so on.
Excuses, so many excuses, and so much energy spent on making up new ones. Crazy.
