Procrastinators Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from chronic procrastination.
Sunday 25 January 2009
The great French Marshall Lyautey once asked his gardener to plant
a tree. The gardener objected that the tree was slow growing and would
not reach maturity for 100 years. The Marshall replied, 'In that case,
there is no time to lose; plant it this afternoon!'
John F. Kennedy 35th president of US 1961-1963 (1917 - 1963)
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Journey saying hello and news
My Dad had surgery this morning and will be in the hospital for a couple more days at least, then probably the nursing home for at least six weeks. It is a stressful time, but we're doing ok. My daughter and I are staying with him at night and my brother and mom are staying with him during the day. He's quite senile and can't be left alone at this point. I am hoping that he will be manageable enough that Mom can stay with him at night after today, but we will see.
I spent the entire night last night explaining to him over and over that he couldn't get out of bed.
This conversation went on all night:
Daddy: " I"m getting up and a) going to the bathroom or b) going home. "
Me: "No, Daddy, you can't get up."
Daddy: "Why not? I'll get up if I want to!"
Me: (physically restraining him)" "Daddy, you're in the hospital. The doctor said you can't get out of bed"
Daddy: "Oh, OK"
2 minutes later: Daddy: "I'm getting up . . .
etc., etc . ..
Please send your prayers or good vibrations our way :) I will be back to regular posting on Tuesday, I hope!
JO
"It is never too late to be what you might have been."
- George Eliot
Ag sends warm hugs to Jo
I really feel your pain, Jo. You are right where I was with Dad when he had his surgery and post-op crisis last summer. You and our PA friends were all praying for me and my family, and it felt so good to keep in touch, posting on my dinky Blackjack every day just to feel connected to something familiar and semi-sane (at least, as sane as a bunch of compulsive procrastinators can be! :-) )I'm glad you're keeping in touch. Please post again when you can, and I'll be praying for you, your Dad and your family.
Thank you Ag!
and so nice to see you back.
Jo
"It is never too late to be what you might have been."
- George Eliot
memory loss
I dont want to sound irreverent, but i think this'll wind up ok.
did you see the movie groundhog day? bill murray's character wakes up in the same day every morning, and tries to get this girl to like him. By living the same day, again and again, he gets to try out several different strategies, and eventually finds out everything she likes and dislikes.
I dont have any parents suffering from memory loss like you, jo, and others here. But i have wondered if i did if the scientist in me might take the opportunity to fine-tune my answer to the repeated questions. Answering different ways and seeing how my parent reacts might let me understand more deeply how they think. And that might help me fine-tune my response for maximum comfort. It might teach me in detail what really helps to reassure and/or calm my mother/father. This odd and disturbing memory loss situation might just open up a way to be caring that wouldnt be there otherwise.
Just a thot.
-----
fall down seven times, get up eight - japanese proverb
procrastinating by studying procrastination: http://www.procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/1114#comment-23050
Jo's dad
Jo, I really empathize with what you are going through. My mother-in-law has short term memory loss, both from a brain tumor removed 30 years ago, and now from senility and Alzheimers. She also has been through near paralysis and must wear a foot brace to stand and try to walk with a walker. Because she speaks Greek and not English, the staff at the facility did not know about the foot brace, so they got her up to take her to the bathroom, not reading the big sign on the wall about the brace! Naturally, she fell and rebroke her hip.
Thankfully, things have gotten better over time, and after several years she is now in a facility long term and she is more relaxed and the staff know her. There are almost daily comedies and tragedies with her: she is sure she is in Greece, surrounded by Albanians who don't speak her language. Every day she calls my husband because she doesn't remember how to call the nurses. The conversation is very similar, except in Greek, my husband explaining over and over where the red call button is. At least she isn't pinching the nurses any more and calling them "putana" and the like!
Hang in there: I found it takes a long time for them to adjust to change, but eventually she did. Hugs!
"It's not about perfect results, it is about getting ANY results." - Constance
hugs to journey
Your situation sounds really rough...sending you prayers and good vibrations.
You and your family
You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. Your dad is very luck to have you, your daughter, son and wife to be by his side and take care of him.
hope-faith
jo's dad
I am praying for you and your family. He IS indeed lucky to have such a loving family. I pray that HP's peace will come to you all in a supernatural way. Sometimes i think that taking care of each other is our most important task.
-----
fall down seven times, get up eight - japanese proverb
procrastinating by studying procrastination: http://www.procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/1114#comment-23050
For journey
Hi journey,
Best wishes to your dad and to your family. Your dad's situation sounds rough; you all must be needing a lot of patience. It's fortunate that he has such loving people around him.
Falcon
thinking of you and your
thinking of you and your dad, prayers and good thoughts and strength to you all .
Thanks Chick
Thank you so much . .. just want to keep him around a little while longer you know . . . as long as he can be reasonably happy and comfortable anyway.
Jo
"It is never too late to be what you might have been."
- George Eliot
i can't believe i am here
hi. i'm new. but i'm driving myself crazy with my own procrastination, so here i am. there are many big things i feel looming over me, but if i can get laundry done tonight i will feel much better, and maybe feel worthwhile enough to face the bigger issues in the morning.
silly, but true. thank you for your support.
lh579's second post
lh: great to have your here. Yes, the laundry thing sounds silly, but i'm the same way and it sill sounds silly in my own ears. Yet, here we are, a group of frequent posters all here to support e/o because of these things that sound so silly to us and the rest of the world.
lh, you can help me test a new theory of mine. Many people come to the site and post once. The theory is that posting a 2nd time greatly increases a person's chance at recovery. So far, we're 1:1 so the sample size is a little small.
If you're like me and many others here, then "follow thru" is a big issue for you, and so posting here is a first step--but i have taken so many first steps--it seems that the 2nd step, and 3rd, and 4th are almost the more important ones. Is it the same for you?
Also pls post even if you have bad results--that is key for me and many others here.
Regardless, welcome and i look forward to hearing from u again!
-----
fall down seven times, get up eight - japanese proverb
procrastinating by studying procrastination: http://www.procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/1114#comment-23050
Welcome lh579
Welcome, lh579, and best of luck with the laundry! In my experience, clean socks are definitely good for morale.
Falcon
Recycler CI 3:25pm EST
Hi Pro Buddies!
Today has mostly been puttering around. I got my gym & work bags ready for this week. I fixed some meals to take to work. Tomorrow is Chinese New Year so I prepared fish for tomorrow :)
I have purchased an adapter to put on my computer. The chance of me putting it on my myself is small, but I will try. After I try, if help is still needed, I will ask my friend, and I hope he will not mind. Saying the Serenity Prayer!
Tonight: while the new condo still isn't totally unpacked, if I get the computer over there, I can play on the computer for a while! So that will be motivation! :)
Have a great night, everyone! :)
Recycler
Recycler
Thank you, gals & guys, for being here! :)
Falcon Sunday CI
Hi all,
Haven't checked in in a while. Hope everyone is well!
Things I need to do next:
That should keep me busy for the rest of the afternoon & evening!
Falcon
Falcon CI Sunday evening
O.k. . .
I took care of the cat, the laundry is underway. Balanced the checkbook and paid the bills, still have a couple of little paperwork things to do. Did some tidying but need to do more. Fiddled with the gps, and the ipod is syncing now.
So, still to do:
Guess I'd better eat something first, then it's back to work,
Falcon
chatroom
darn - chatroom not loading for me, I am disappointed...
to isabo ...
Sorry I was 2 minutes late for meeting but i'm in meetings chatroom now. Hope you can enter again?
-- movingalong
Weekly online 12-Step meeting in "meetings chatbox"
Procrastinators Anonymous weekly 12-Step meeting in "meetings chatbox".
Meeting is held:
> Click here to find your timezone equivalent for today's meeting.
> Click here to find your timezone equivalent for next week's meeting.
Note: I don't want to create a feeling of "obligation". Many of us suffer from issues with "Demand Resistance", and obligation would just make things worse.
Also, I wanted to make it clear that we don't take attendance.
Each person is welcome to come or not come according to their own inner guidance -- i.e. the Higher Power of their understanding.
It works when we "work it". Let's do whatever it takes to find recovery. All are welcome.
-
meeting starting now, all are welcome
in the meetings chatbox
tiptree 11:30 AM CI
to do:
- FA issues in test
- read about box model and play with EXTJs
- grid: find old list and impl 2-3 items from (e.g., clickable)
- watch movie
- review bgz
- clear 2 bgz items
- read 50 pp of library book
- read 1 ch. of work-related bk.
- read 1-3 back issues
Isabo 1050 am
hubby let me sleep in today, always nice. Today I need to clean a bit, dd has a playdate very early in the am, so I need to be prepared for that! I will try to do work really quickly so I have more time before they come!
need to
vacuumdust
bathroom deep cleanclean rest of table
hang up hooks by sink
cover kitchen glass with paperhalf done anyway.....took almost 2 hrs, way too long!!check in in abit
isabo 249
made lunch for us all, then put mactac over 2 of the four kitchen door windows - hubby doesn't like design I chose oh well. Now I am going to continue on with list and see how long that takes - hubby deepcleaning bathroom, good man!
Isabo 451
suppertime here now, I will dust the lvg room furniture while watching tv after supper which I must go start. I am happy with state of house, I won't be embarrased by having a first time visitor !
Have a good evening everyone!
Hope-Faith CI 10:05
Only of couple of items left on my list from last night.
Accomplished all that I need to today and a few extras. Good day, even had the opportunity to take a short Sunday afternoon nap.
hope-faith
kromer 8:15 CI struggling
I'm feeling really lost today...I have 5 different projects to be working on, plus some household tasks, and I'm having a hard time just picking one and sticking to it.
OK, I'm going to do 1 small chunk of documentation for PF's project (I have a lot of resistance on this task, but I can do anything for 15 minutes.) Then, I'm going to make a birthday card for my friend. Then, I'm going to finish reading chpt. of signals and systems book (studying is hard for me b/c I don't feel like I'm making any progress on my projects, but I know its really important for me to understand this material). If I have time I'll review and take notes on a paper after that.
I need to leave for church at 10:00, and am hanging out with a friend after that...if I follow this plan I'll have made progress on 3 projects and will be able to relax this afternoon.
Heading to the chatbox now
Update 8:45--can't access chatbox for some reason, but I've done a small chunk of documentation for PF's project, now make bday card for friend
Update 9:05--made bday card, now read the chapter
kromer 10:25 CI
I read half of the chapter on the way home from church. Also took down my xmas tree (finally!), then hung out with my friend.
I don't have a huge amount to get done tonight, but I do want to:
*Take a shower
*Email about Harambee
*Make a schedule for next week
*(If time) finish reading chapter of sig/sys.
Going to take a shower now, then will work down the list
kromer 10:05 CI
Thanks isabo for your encouragement!
Didn't finish chapter, but did take notes on a paper...now I'm heading to church, will read paper on the way there and back.
feeling lost
I hope your time in church and hanging out with your friend helps your mood!
Hope-Faith CI 1/25/2009
Feeling ab it out of sorts and run down, do not have any committments today except to myself which is good. I have somewhat updated post and now I am going to begin my am routine and then I am going to go ahead and complete the parts of my PM routine that deal with staying organized and clutter free. I did not do any of my PM routine last night (except supper and bath's)
AM routine is done next I need to do the following on my PM routine as I did not complete PM routine last night. Items to complete
Once I finish these items I will set my next taks
hope-faith
6 little girls X 4.5 hr trip
Hello! I do hope you had fun yesterday, though I imagine you had a headache from the chatter! I definitely would have popped some tylenol!!
I think you should feel immensely proud of yourself! You gave yourself a challenge with setting an event up for your daughter, and you met and exceeded it! That is no small feat! So rest easy, and take today for yourself...you do deserve it!!!
Have a good day, hopefaith!
Thanks isabo
Thanks Isabo you comments are always so uplifting and make me feel good about myself. I really do appriciate them.
It was s super day for the kids and I have a VHS player in the van so they picked out movies to watch.
Only one moment of stress on the 4.5 hour trip-- One of my little girls has a older sister and well this older sister has come into womenhood and this little girl proceeded to tell all the other (8 to 9 year old) little girls about the event with graphic detail. Thank God for Hannha Montana when I started to hear her telling the other little girls about the event I turned on Hannah Montana "Best of Both Worlds and got all the girls singing to the top of their lungs. Not sure if the carried on with the conversation later in the day I am sure my daughter will have some questions in the next couple of days so I have to think about how to handled that. I also informed all the moms of the conversation.
hope-faith
too funny
Oh that is too funny! Of course she wants to share, that is a HUGE moment in all our lives!!! Poor girls! On one hand, its good to hear firsthand so they have some knowledge of what will happen, but on the other....oh my. What I have to look forward too! LOL Change the topic, definitely!!! heheee I think just answering honestly....just incase she has skewed notions going on....I don't know.....I still have 6 or 7 years before that....I hope!!
re: too funny
Just be kinder than my mom was - she said "This is the price you have to pay for being a woman". She meant that in a good way, because having babies is a wonderful gift and we must suffer through this part in order to have the gift . . . but that sentence is the one that stuck in my mind!
Jo
"It is never too late to be what you might have been."
- George Eliot
no comment
:)
-----
fall down seven times, get up eight - japanese proverb
procrastinating by studying procrastination: http://www.procrastinators-anonymous.org/node/1114#comment-23050
Chick CI
starting now...
brek, laundry,first load in and out;second load in; & out; work
l printed now print t and m, find on old computernow: write!I have a lot of the stuff there; I need to reread, edit and add just a bit.
I wish that I were not doing this at the last minute. On the other hand--the progress is that I'm still juggling some of the household tasks, which I didn't used to do. Now, in the next half hour I want to fix up most of what I hve, then go on to add a small amount of new stuff so that i have a whole by, say 5.30.
working steadily and there is quite a lot to do
[]dishes
[]garbage &
cat litter--hope you don't mind that I borrowed your quotation, Constance and hope others don't mind the repetition. I kept finding more resonance in that story. The importance of starting now, and that the big thing starts small, and on and on...and that the small effort now of plantin a sapling brings a great tree in time...
awww, chickadee, I was just the copy-paster of a quoter (Kennedy
awww, chickadee, I was just the copy-paster of a quoter (Kennedy) who knew a great quote - and who on earth wrote down Kennedy quoting Marshal what'shisnameagain? ... haha, this is starting to become a little Edward Learean (or Lewis Carrollean?)!
Constances roundup of her Sunday:
As I was time-binging today because Tuesday is my personal dooms day (exam looming) I (of course) didn't have any time to write a plan and stick to it.
Here's what I did and why I'm still very angry with myself:
- arrived at library to study at 12. Browsed through lot's of useless books on self-managment, adult ADS, developmental psychology
- finished FE summary
- wrote study plan and un-schedule (Fiore) for next eight weeks. Made me realize HOW LITTLE time I've got left to study for remaining two oral exams and that it is vital that I will stick to this study plan. Otherwise I'm going to fail as I will fail on Tuesday, as I've closed my eyes on the amount of study material I should have crammed into my brain by now. I've tackled 1/2 - 2/3 of the learning matter only, and I've not yet had the time to revise it due to the evil p-word. and when it comes to my brain, doing it once is like doing it not at all. Revision is essential to me, otherwise there is just a big void in my brain.
- read TS
- studied TS
- studied UR
o should have read: FE!!!
"Study how to use the symptoms of procrastination to trigger the cure!" Neil Fiore
courage to you Constance. I
courage to you Constance. I am rooting for you.
You say you need revision to feel confident ? Hope you can find some inner calm, too. And in oral exams, you can find ways to turn a question to your strength??
Ty , chickadee, yep, I
Ty , chickadee, yep, I should keep in mind that they somehow want me to present myself and will allow me to turn a question a bit ot my strength, if I can't really answer it. My Prof told me, that he doesn't want to know what I don't know but that he only wants to know, what I do know. I love him!
Good luck for your talk tomorrow!
"Study how to use the symptoms of procrastination to trigger the cure!" Neil Fiore