Thursday, July 08, 2010

Pumpkin Patch Procrastination

Writer's Workshop time! From a great blog, Mama's Losin' It!: Photographs can turn a house into a home. Share a photograph that is not on your wall, but should be…if you weren’t so lazy about actually putting it there.

Procrastination. I had a meltdown last week in Denver with the husband about being lazy and procrastinating too much. "Where's my drive?!" I Cried  "Where's the initiative?!" I wailed and then hid under the covers. (Okay, maybe I wasn't quite so dramatic, but I'm sure most of us out there have had moments like this. Right? Or maybe I really am the crazy woman that Asian husband proclaims... But I digress.)

So this picture of little Gagey Goo Goo (I swear I will stop calling him this when he goes to first grade. When he goes to middle school. High school. College. At his wedding.  Maybe...) is Evidence A of my mastery of the art of procrastination. This perfect pumpkin patch picture (alliteration of the day) is about three years old. I remember thinking I was almost a professional with my little digital shot here. Let me pause for a moment to allow you to admire the composition, the lighting, the blending of subject and environment... (pretend for a moment I do know the first thing about photography.)

Since then I have often thought that I should print this out (on my printer that is about 10 feet away), frame it, and hang it up. What a great way to show off that cute little face immortalized, I mused. And yet the picture is still safe and sound on my computer's hard hard drive.

Which brings me back to my original rambling. Procrastination. I have often wondered what keeps me from taking the next steps with different goals I have, small and large. Is printing out a picture and putting it in a frame really so taxing? Is blogging more than once a month unconquerable?  Neither of these are at all, and what I have realized is it comes down to is fear. Fear of putting myself out there. To be judged. Observed. I have spent most of my life trying to be fairly invisible, and these kinds of things go against my grain.  I have a text reminder sent to myself each day that simply states 'Confidence and Independence,' but despite the reminder, I am only doing minor things to boost that part of myself that would much rather hide, so in addition to actually printing out this picture and finding the absolute perfect spot for it (baby steps), I am working on confidence in my writing, my thinking, and my blogging (big steps), which I hope contributes to confidence in my being (even bigger steps).

Mama's Losin' It

10 comments:

  1. Thanks for taking on Mama Kat's Challenge, without it I never would have found your blog! I prefer to mask my bouts of procrastination with a medical condition, it's called Pudovitis (pronounced put-off-itis), it's rare it affects mostly mothers. I for one would thoroughly enjoy if you posted more than once a month. My advice drink coffee, it's amazing what you can accomplish when wired!

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  2. First, love the picture! Second, after reading your post and your About Me - you're a working mom/step-mom! If you're kids are fed and wearing clean underwear, you're doing a FANTASTIC job! ;) The rest will come in time.

    And I think your writing is great.

    (Came over from Mama Kat's)

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  3. I feel your pain..I am here visiting from mama kat's, but did not participate this time. Why?...you got it...procrastination!

    maybe by the time you get that picture framed, you'll be able to give it to Gage when his own child is that old! LOL

    like ur post - thanks for the laugh

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  4. GREAT picture. I really enjoyed it.

    Stopping by from Mama Kats.

    BTW....who cares what others think of what you write? Write because YOU want to write and don't let what you THINK others think hold you back. Just DO it! ;-)

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  5. Thanks for the comments! It has been so much funny reading and commenting on all of your blogs and reading what you have to say here. Will check back with your blogs often!t

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  6. Procrastination is my middle name. Or is it bitingoffmorethanIcanchew? Or possibly commitmentphobe? Either way, results are the same. Here's something you can easily plan to do...come to my blog and link up this post to Old School Photo Friday, it's PERFECT! Came over from Mama Kats to say hello!

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  7. I think you hit the nail right on the head - but you got the post written...and you didn't procrastinate. I have overcome procrastination a few times this week - started running...participated in my first ever Mama Kat's...and found some great blogs in the process! This was a great read - and someone up there said it...working mother...kids fed and clothed...that's all you need. That's all I ever hope for of myself.

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  8. First...awesome picture! Second...forget about not calling him that cute nick name. My eldest son(20) is still "Pootie-man." He has actually embraced it so I can no longer embarrass him about it. I really enjoyed reading this...and am looking forward to your future posts!

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  9. @nicksmom-- Gage actually told his soccer coach that was his name when she asked him that a few years ago. He likes when I call him that, still, so I think Pootie-man and Gagey Goo Goo will continue to live one!

    @JoAnne-- this was my first writer's workshop, too! So worth it. I have really enjoyed "meeting" new people and finding new blogs!

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  10. Ok, you need to stop being so hard on yourself 'cause procrastination is part of motherhood, and you're a mother, so....procrastination is part of your life...come on, give yourself a break, your picture is beautiful, your post was a delight, and one day you will do everything you are meant to!

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