One of the worst things about everyday life is that there is always one more thing to be done: One of the best things about everyday life is that there is always one more thing to be done! ‘The devil makes work for idle hands’, they tell us, and if this be so, well then idleness is not the best place in which to linger. According to Parkinson’s Law, ‘work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion.’
When I milked cows for a living for around thirteen years in another one of my lives, I did a nine year stint without ever missing a milking myself. (Yes, I know, Lads, you have heard it all before – and yes, I do have new stories sometimes!) This was a very busy routine and the day was seldom long enough for this one man operation.
But I wasn’t without a break: Come the middle of November and the cows were all ‘dried off’ and there was no more milking until they started calving again at the end of the following January. When the milking routine started over again there was one thing that always came as a disappointing surprise to me. I could be up at night with cows calving as well as doing the milking and I had all the time in the world to wonder what I was doing during the ‘dry period?’
You see, throughout the year there would be an ever-increasing list of little jobs waiting to be attended to. I consoled myself with the thought that I would get this ‘rake of things to be done’ cleared over the ten weeks when there wasn’t a cow to be milked. You’ve guessed it, around this time of year; St Brigid’s Day, I would go around the house and yard, talking to myself and wondering what in the name of God I was at during the idle period.
I couldn’t remember being ‘idle’ – but most of the list of stuff needing to be done, didn’t get done! I know now it was because I moved down a couple of gears because there was no daily pressure to get anything finished.
This seems to be the big lesson of life. Now, same as ever, I have a vague plan of things I am going to do … but I keep pushing the intentions down the road ahead of me. These days I have no ‘dry cow period’ up ahead to file resolutions into; but, dear readers, I have an alternative pit to stack the plans into: Whatever it is to be done, I shall do it “when I get straightened out!” When it comes to kicking the can down the road, this one is a beauty …
Call it procrastination if you so wish, but as far back as I can remember there was always something I was going to do, ‘after I got straightened out!’ Nowhere in there was there any clue as to when I would get straightened out and when Mrs Youcanbeserious might enquire as to when she might expect this momentous milestone of my ‘straightening out’, I would give her a few examples of things that had to be done first.
In another context I once told you the parable of Satan sending down his most persuasive disciples to work on those idle minds that the devil makes work for. The first instruction Satan suggested was to tell the idle minds that there was no heaven.
The foot-soldiers reported back that they were having no success with this line. After running things over in his head for a night or two, the next temptation that the head devil came up with was to tell the people there was no hell.
This didn’t carry much influence either, and after holding a high-level conference, Satan sent his disciples back to Earth with instructions to tell the idle minds ‘there is no hurry.’ And that one, my friends, is still working well to this day.
Chances are that you too have your own version of waiting until you ‘get straightened out.’ A good tip with regard to getting straightened out is to take the most difficult item on your ‘to do’ list and do it first.
But not all of the straightening out list refers to either chores or unpleasant tasks. I dream vaguely of places I have promised myself to see and experiences not yet enjoyed. Somewhere out there in the misty future, all these nice things will come about …. If only I can manage to ‘get straightened out!’
Don’t Forget
You can never get much of anything done unless you go ahead and do it before you are ready
