A new quarter started a few weeks ago and already I'm failing at getting ahead of my assignments. It's not a new habit for me, I've been perfecting it for years and years.
Growing up, my family was known for their timeliness. The Ward clan was never late. In fact, I remember showing up early more times than I can remember. Believe me, it's a bit awkward when you show up for a party and the hostess opens the door wearing a bath robe and curlers while a forced welcoming smile directs you to "make yourself at home". At an early age I picked up on the awkwardness of being too early. We seemed too eager, too desperate for an outing, and we put the host(s) in an uncomfortable position. Inherently, I think this contributed to my current affliction of being slightly late to events and a procrastinator in general. I think somewhere inside me I wanted to alleviate the awkwardness of being too early and like a pendulum, I swung too far in the opposite direction and developed a habit as equally as negative and a faux pas in its own right; I'm a late procrastinator. This fall I even showed up late to a first date! Seriously, party foul! Recently I submitted an assignment that was due at 1:00pm at 12:59:46pm. What? I laughed out loud, but my professor wasn't laughing when he told me his TA had designed the link to submit the assignment to disappear at 1:00pm. Am I going to the same school as Jason Bourne? Sheesh!
Maybe it's a bit of a stretch to connect being late to procrastination, but my point is: I think it's easy to get caught up in the rules. We criticize those that are late and shake our heads in disapproval while we wait, but what is important? I say what it is most important is that we show up. Showing up communicates more than simply being on time and not being present. Getting it done. Following through. Finishing what you started. Being true to your word. I may be late and the reigning "Queen of Procrastination", but I finish what I start. I follow through. I do what I say I'm going to do. We owe that to people don't we? We owe it especially to the people we have enough of a relationship to have that kind of a commitment. My parents may have inadvertently taught me to be a late procrastinator, but they taught me to follow through and finish what I start and for that...and countless other things, I am grateful.
