Okay now, gather ‘round boys and girls. Today’s lesson is going to be about procrastination. Do you know what procrastination is? Webster’s dictionary says it is: “to put off doing something until later; delay”. My wife refers to it as: “I told you so!”

Mark Twain stated: “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow”. I hope he was being sarcastic because nine times out of ten putting something off usually comes back to bite you in the arse.

Take Christmas lights, for instance. A few weeks ago while the weather was perfectly balmy, for the middle of a Saskatchewan November, a suggestion was made to me that “we” should hang our Christmas lights up. “We” being, of course, me!

“It’s way too early to put up the lights,” I recall saying as I deftly used the remote to watch three football games simultaneously. “I’ll do it next weekend. There’ll be lots of nice days, yet!”

Yes, that’s right boys and girls. Old Man Winter did show up almost immediately after that statement left my mouth. It’s seems procrastination and Murphy’s Law go hand in hand.

Now, there are a few traditionalists, out there, that feel that one loses one’s appreciation for the art of light hanging by not risking digit loss, due to frostbite, while putting up Christmas lights. This is the only remaining argument that I have left, to escape the “I told you so’s”.

Alas, the lights remain on the floor of the back porch awaiting a break in the weather. I look at it as an energy savings measure. These justifications are not being met with much patience or sympathy. I had better go get the shovel and try to find the ladder that’s buried somewhere in all that snow. Then again . . . okay, okay I’m going!

”Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”-Don Marquis (1878-1937).

PERRY HUBBARD
Guest Columnist