Chronicles Of The Procrastinating Ninja

[Cathe Frederic]

Annnnnd the score iiiiiis..... Ninja 4, Procrastination 1! SOB!!!!  4 days I did my cardio and today I missed it!  Wait just a moment while I find some goat cheese to serve you with my whine! Today was not the best day for the Procrastinating Ninja!

It all started innocently enough.  The covers were soooo warm and my back hurt.  I stretched out from under the covers and jumped up to shut off my obnoxious alarm.  Then when I went down stairs I realized I was out of coffee!!! I am not the most cooperative person with out that! Then I committed mistake number 1!

I crawled back under the covers to....check my eyelids for holes. No holes and an hour later I woke up already behind schedule!  No problem! I would still have time to do cardio up Spirit Mountain! I got dressed, put my poles in the car and went to get Chris. We were going to stop off and pick up the new alternator for my car. As we drove toward the intersection it began to down pour! Chris looked at me and said, "Why don't we walk after we pick up the alternator?" He didn't have to work too hard to convince me, but I began to get an uneasy gnawing feeling in my Sifu Conscience.

For those of you who have only been in Kung Fu a small amount of time, you have probably not begun to hear your Sifu Conscience....yet! It is not anything like the Biblical, "Small, still voice within." It is much louder. And much more insistent.

But after all, these delays were reasonable I thought to myself as I tried to reason with my inner Sifu. Besides they were only delays....right? In my minds eye, I could see my inner Sifu's eyebrow slowly raise as he stood there with one hand on his hip. I cleared my throat and dashed off to do some....um justifiable delaying.

I waited for Chris at the coffee shop while he went and picked up the part we needed. As I was just getting into a good chat with an old veteran, Chris walked in and motioned that he was ready to leave.  Well I couldn't just leave an old veteran while he was regaling me with tales of his life in the military! That would be disrespectful! So I bribed my son with a fruit smoothie!  I noted that my inner Sifu's other eyebrow rose slowly to join it's mate! Nothing rubs the conscience like a two eyebrow lift! So off to do our cardio....as soon as I finished my coffee.
 It was now painfully obvious that I was responsible for 75% of the mornings time getting away from us. Sigh! Chris informed me that there was no time left for the walk and we had to get home now if he was to have enough time to install the alternator. Dang me! 

That was ok though because it was only a 2 hour job and we could always go for a walk after! Right? Well the funny thing about procrastination is it usually is first, then it is almost always followed by real delays.

Chris discovered the bracket on the alternator had been manufactured incorrectly and he had to spend most of the day grinding it down so it would fit. A 2 hour job turned into 8. I had to stay and assist so I tried to sooth my inner Sifu, (who by now had joined my own conscience and they were having a tea party discussing you know who!), by working diligently in the garden.

But it did not work. My own conscience complained about what she had to work with in this human and my inner Sifu sipped his organic chai and smiled that half smile of his. And I felt rotten! And I knew that tomorrow morning I was going to have to crawl out of my nice warm bed, do make up cardio and then have to go to Kung Fu too! Arrrrgh!

I could blame my dyslexia and it's fascination with shiny things and any distraction. Or I could blame this RAIN! I could blame any number of things. But I won't because it was just me. Good ole Cathe and her bad habit of procrastination!

So if Kung Fu means working hard towards great accomplishment, I wonder how you say, "Working hard towards less procrastination"? Kung something. Tomorrow is another day and I shall work harder towards Kung Fu. Because great accomplishment requires zero procrastination!
 

[Victoria Pich]

Hilarious! I think most of us have to struggle with this at various levels. For me, it is usually work that stops me from working out. I need to focus on using those little in between times, the 20 minutes between students. My daughter also won't work out without me, so it is my responsibility to workout with her. Good luck with your workouts! It seems that you are vERY self aware, which is great!