Tick to the Tock: The Subject of Time

It could probably be said that I march to the beat of my own drummer at times, and I suppose it could also be said that I tick to the tock of my own clock.

A few years ago, a friend said that I ran on my own time – in fact he called it “Shana Standard Time.” My former boss was repeatedly unimpressed by my habitual tardiness. It is also a not-so-funny joke in my family that I am never on time. Want me there by 9? Best tell me to be there by 8:30.

Yet, contrary to what people might assume, it is not out of disregard, or disrespect for the person or commitment that I am late. Rather, it is usually the result of my overly optimistic gauge of time. As in, I usually think I can fit in waaayyyy more than is humanly possible into any frame of time. There are many times where, if I could choose a super power, I would choose super-human powers of productivity because I really don’t like to leave things undone and I really don’t like being late.

There is just not enough time. I could never fit into this life everything I would like to do and accomplish. Every time I walk into a library or bookstore, I am reminded of this. There are not enough hours in my days, or days in my life, to read every book I would like to – even if that is all I did. The upside of this is that I realize that boredom is something I will very rarely be afflicted by, so I can be thankful for that.

I had planned on officially hitting the road today: July 12, 2010. Now, I am hoping to wrap things up and head north by Sunday. I am working on my “going-with-the-flow-edness” on this one. People keep reminding me that the only schedule I am on is my own… what is a few more days? Maybe so, but I guess I fear the possibility of things dragging out and never getting on the road. And then there is also the fact that I am just really excited to get going.

Yesterday, as friends were helping me to re-enforce the coupler on my camper so that I could safely travel down the road, I was reminded of something I learned during my metalsmithing days in college. Never say: “That will be easy.” or “That won’t take very long.” Mark added, “It’s never cheap.”

So, I will be plugging along this week… wrapping up all the projects I need to finish, sorting, packing, selling, donating, etc. etc. etc. But, the light is getting bigger and brighter at the end of this tunnel. I can already feel a slight breeze from the open road ahead.

Also, I would also like to mention that despite my always running behind, I tend to be a day ahead of my horoscope when I happen to remember to read it. And, well, I just think that should count for something….