Getting Your Priorities Straight

POOPING: Procrastinating on our Priorities is never good.

We often think we have more time than we really do. No one knows what tomorrow brings or if we even have one. So, we think "I should do that" or " I will do it tomorrow".

Then, time goes by and the effects of waiting can run from irritating to devastating. Cars run out of oil. Bills don't get paid. Cupcakes get bought instead of made. Appointments are never met. People get ignored.

For some, planning ahead is not a concept they can understand much less relate to. Setting things out the night before, giving yourself some wiggle room in the morning is for sissies!

So this is what I have learned about "poopers"

When you show up late, every...single...time, you don't have much respect for the people you keep waiting. They got there on time, maybe even early. But your schedule is always more important than theirs so you show up, with or without an excuse, late.

Cars really don't run on air. Except for tires, that is. They need maintaining and when they don't get it, they are just like every other thing that might be ignored. They stop running.

Is that ice forming on the inside of your freezer getting smaller? When will that stack of magazines you haven't read fall over? How much money will those ill-insulated windows cost you? Is that broken step on the porch going to be a potential hazard long enough for someone to get hurt?

Sometimes we get a bit behind on the bills. But not contacting them right away is not the answer. They will always work with you.

Appointments are not guidelines. They need to be met or everyone after you is set back. That's not fair to them. Now there are times when the bus is late or the traffic is an issue. But, when you start out early, those things are exceptions and not the rules.

If you know ahead of time that you volunteered for cupcakes or other school functions, plan ahead of time. Make sure you have the ingredients and carve out some time to make them. Buying them is fine too, esp' if you aren't a baker. Just don't do it because you forgot.

Don't even get me started on homework or office documents that are due. I love being early with things so I don't stress. It's kind of like eating a veggie you hate so you can get to the good stuff!

The questions I am positing here might be theoretical, but you get the point.

But the worst thing that people do is when it comes to people. They should be a priority above all others. Sadly, that isn't always the case.

I know a young man who's 'dads' can't be bothered showing up when promised. Now this wonderful, talented and smart young man wonders what he did wrong. Why he wasn't good enough to love or even spend time with.
As a result, he will not have children of his own.

The answer is he did absolutely nothing wrong. And he is good enough. He just didn't have any man who wanted to step up and make him a priority.

You might wonder why I am writing this? It is not about the freezer, the car, the cupcakes or the appt. It's about people. It's about him. It's about me.

I grew up in a very dysfunctional family. It was more important to have a little "something" for your coffee than it was to have milk for your kid. Getting money any way you could was more important than making a home where your kid could go to 1 school instead of 33. Having fun was more important than being with your frightened daughter the night she had her tonsils out. Taking off for a quick vacation was more important than being with your daughter when she turned 16.

Procrastination was their mantra and model by which they lived. To say their priorities were out of sync was a gross understatement. To never make your child feel like they mattered more than anything never even entered their minds.

So when I became a mom, I vowed I would do better. I think I did. And she did with her son. We made mistakes for sure, but at no time did she or he ever think they weren't our highest priority.

I would like to go back in time and shake some people till their heads rattle. This precious person in your life is there for a reason. Stop wasting your trivial things and start paying attention to them.

My advice is simple. Think of your priorities. If they aren't in sync please prioritize them. Cars will run better, you won't be overdue or late for appointments, etc. And your kids will like you better.

Then you won't be a POOPER!