Becoming a Grown-Up. . .Starting Tomorrow

Procrastination. This word could describe my whole existence. I'm convinced I would get nothing accomplished if it weren't for the very last minute. Heck, I wouldn't even BE here if it weren't for the last minute. You see, my birthday was supposed to be August 28Th (the same as my grandma's). But August 28Th came and went and my poor mother wondered if I would EVER decide to come out. She likes to tell the story of how, if given the choice, I “would've gone to college in the womb”. For it wasn't until almost a full month later that I made my screaming debut to the world. And by sheer force, at that. I arrived safely, but not before holding on for dear life, as I broke one of my mother's ribs in the process (sorry Mom!). And that's me in a nutshell. . .right on time; not a minute before, and more frequently, a few minutes behind schedule.

The truth is, I can't stand this about myself. Though I most often accomplish what I need to at JUST the right moment, not leaving any wiggle room on time just shows sheer lack of responsibility as a grown adult. That is what I am. . .or at least pretend to be. A GROWN-UP. I have my doubts on a daily basis, though I see the amount of candles on the cake increasing every year. It's somewhat hard to change a habit that has taken 21 years + 9 years experience to perfect. In high school, I was always that person that was up the night before a final, slamming back red bulls and cramming every last bit of info in that I could before the sun came up. After college, I was the one staying up well after midnight, the night before a big job interview to do a load of laundry that I will need for the next morning. So it should have not come as a shock to anyone that I would inevitably be the crazy pregnant lady who waited til I was dilated to a THREE with my first child and ready to be admitted to the hospital to realize I had put off buying a car seat. What kind of profesional procrastinator stalls the doctor a few hours so they can walk through Target and pick out a car seat hours before delivery. Had my procrastination reached it's all-time peak?! Maybe I thrive on the thrill and excitement of sliding in at the last minute. Maybe it's the rush I enjoy. No matter how you look at it, all it reveals about me is that I am an idiot. A hopeless procrastinator that desperately needs to grow-up and start living among the "responsible adults" who actually think past lunch into the near future and come up with a tentative plan. For dinner even. We should start with baby steps.

The hilarious thing about my procrastination is that I have no excuse. I've given myself plenty of time to work on time-management skills. Even though I wait until the eleventh hour, I am also a perpetual list-maker. I make lists for everything......from weekly meal plans, to daily household chores, to errands that need taken care of. What do I do with these lists, you ask? Well, that's simple. I change my mind about what is priority. Dinner plans change. I get started house-cleaning and end up destroying rooms and creating projects that weren't even on the chore list. I get tied up talking to the disgruntled checker at the grocer's, and decide I need to bring this poor, troubled soul back a book that will help her solve her relationship issues. The "errand list" gets thrown to the wayside. DISTRACTIONS...And maybe a tad of ADD. But the jury's still out on that one. Either way, when I end up waiting until the last minute to pay a speeding ticket, renew a car tag, complete a huge project for work, or forget to shave my legs the day of a pool party.....the consequences can be quite costly (and somewhat embarrassing). Seriously. Grow up, lady.

I intend to do just that today—GROW UP. For today commemorates the 2nd anniversary of my 29th birthday.(*AHEM!* Just go with me on this one. I am going through the grieving process at the sobering death of my terrific 20's, so please bear with me.) Let all of you respect a few moments of silence for the newest member of the "elderly club". I have officially graduated to a different box on the questionnaire form. The middle-age bracket. Though I am a bit closer to being able to claim "alzheimer's" for my forgetfulness, my ongoing talent for procrastination is something that should finally be dealt with.

After all, I'm turning over a new leaf today. Mainly because “someday” is not a day of the week. It's time to turn my mountains of To-Dos into bucket lists that are absolutely attainable. And I don't want to wait until I'm almost dead to get them accomplished. I want to be able to scratch things off daily. I want to learn to be a better manager of the time on this earth I've been given. I'm realizing just how quickly the time slips right through my fingers. I'm ready to acknowledge that there are a million ways to waste a day, but not even a single way to get one back. When it comes to my future, my kids, my marriage, my life--I don't want to barely make the deadlines with one minute to spare. I want to learn to be wholly present and active in every minute of every day. I want to plan. To be intentional. To be responsible. To live "on purpose"...and not just by the skin of my teeth.

With that said, I have given myself a deadline. It is an undoubted truth, that the less one has to do, the less time one finds to do it in.(Earl of Chesterfield) There are some things I've been putting off for some time (this blog, for example) and I want to tackle these things NOW. A short-term "bucket list", if you will. I'm calling it my 7-11 Project. There's a very interesting occurrence coming up; one that history won't see again for another hundred years. In 7 weeks, we will host 11-11-11. Apparently it's a pretty big deal. Who knew?! So to celebrate, I am giving myself a list of 11 things to accomplish before 11-11-11. I decided to post about it here, so that I can't turn into a big, fat loser and throw the plan out the window this time. I'm hoping for a bit of accountability and encouragement. As ridiculous as it sounds, I'll definitely need a few verbal or written "shoves" along the way to help me out and keep me going. I'm relying on YOU. (no pressure, of course. LOL)

Along the way, over the next 7 weeks, I'll be sure to post about my progress. I also promise to blog about my crazy kiddos, some ridiculously random situations I've gotten myself into recently, and of course, my sarcastic two-cents about EVERYTHING I encounter on a daily basis. I hope you will tag along with me through it all. Kick my butt in gear regarding the 7-11 Project, but more importantly, learn how to laugh and enjoy life right along with me. Let's not wait until it's too late. I've already waited til the night before it's due to write this blog post! (oops!) The procrastination train stops here. Laziness may pay off right now, but pursuing life on purpose will bring about abundant future rewards. I just know it! Let the journey begin!

7-11 Project Bucket List

1. Do 11 random acts of kindness.
2. Try 11 new recipes.
3. Run at least 11 miles every week.
4. Write 11 blog posts.
5. Do 11 new activities or crafts with the kiddos.
6. Do/visit/eat at/try 11 different places, restaurants,
or things to do.
7. Memorize 11 new scripture verses.
8. Read 11 books.
9. Tackle 11 projects around the house.
10. Sincerely apologize to 11 people who I have hurt
in the past.
11. Learn to be happy with who I am.