Lessons from a Turkish Cat’s Perspective

Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week.

Spanish Proverb

My son captured this photo of a cat sharing his table during a trip to Turkey. Apparently, Turkish cats are plentiful and quite sociable. I chose this particular photo because the cat’s glazed-over eyes reflect my current mood. It seems like he finds the conversation rather boring. I can almost imagine the cat listening to my excuses for not writing, rolling its eyes, and exclaiming, “Oh, please, just get on with it!”

If I were to make resolutions for the new year, procrastination would be at the top of my list. I have no trouble overlooking tasks I planned to complete today until tomorrow or even next week. Often, I convince myself that I’ll have more motivation later. Without much effort, I can easily postpone these tasks until next month, creating a never-ending cycle of delay. Despite my awareness that the jobs are generally manageable and that the sense of relief I feel after completing them far outweighs the stress I endure while avoiding them, I persist in this tendency. Once I finally decide to do a task, I find it didn’t take that long to accomplish and was fairly painless. This leads me to question why I delayed in the first place.

When it comes to finding time to write, I have it easier than many. I’m retired and our condo isn’t large, so cleaning doesn’t consume much time. However, I still find myself constantly distracted by various tasks that demand my immediate attention. I prioritize my time, set imaginary deadlines, and schedule specific times to write. Despite my best efforts, I often find myself staring out the window at the squirrels gathering nuts or wondering if I have enough eggs to make a quiche for dinner. As I navigate this new phase of life, I frequently struggle to strike a balance between enjoying unstructured time and pursuing my passion for writing.

I suppose we all have areas where we wish we were more proficient. We often procrastinate on minor tasks like making a phone call to schedule an appointment or significant tasks like addressing a personal issue that we know is causing us harm. This procrastination usually stems from a fear of the unknown or the discomfort associated with confronting our challenges directly. I wish I had an easy solution to avoid procrastination, a magical fix that could help us overcome that initial resistance. Perhaps, the only solution is to simply do it and be done with it, to muster the courage and take that first step toward action. Once completed, we sometimes wonder why we didn’t accomplish it sooner, finding solace in the realization that our worries were often more intense than the reality we faced. Each completed task, no matter how small, can serve as a stepping stone to building momentum and confidence, encouraging us to tackle even more significant challenges that lie ahead.

Peace be with you.