Procrastination: Cause and Effect

Friday, 7:30 pm - "Oh I have to stick the new registration tags on the motorcycle - will do it on the weekend"

Saturday 5:30 pm - "Hmm, I have to stick the registration tag, but I am late for my volleyball
game, maybe tomorrow"

Sunday 11:30 pm - "Oh forgot about the sticker again, too late now, will do it tomorrow"

Tuesday 9:15 am - "Oh Sh*#! Where is my motorcycle? Was it stolen? Or did somebody tow it? Better call the apartment office"

Well, turns out the apartment security had placed a notice under the license plate of my motorcycle about the expired registration tag. A week later, since no one had called, they had it towed. I tried to show my angry face at the apartment manager - but she showed a photo of the notice stuck to my motorcycle (I hate those smart phones!), so I had to back away from shifting the guilt (or the responsibility) onto someone else's shoulder. I called the towing company - their response justified every inch of prejudice I had about them - they are the best legally run mafia operation in these United States of America. Well, if you are wondering about the other ones, I will name a few - U-Haul, Parking Enforcement and the IRS. Getting back to topic, after the technical terms mambo jumbo, I deduced that if I got the motorcycle out of their storage facility (which is even worse than the footage of Iraq I have seen on TV) by the next evening, I need to pay only (emphasis on the only) a total of $260.

Now, I know on the list of bad effects caused by procrastination, loss of wealth comes only after loss of health and loss of family relations. But in the absence of the other two, I felt emotionally burdened by this impending financial loss. In the current economical climate, this is the last thing I could afford. After doing some quick calculations in my head, I figured out the other costs I could cut to make up for this towing company's moment of nirvana.

Slowly, the other repercussions dawned on me. How do I break this to my wife? How do I blame politicians for procrastinating the fixing of a health care crisis and economical crisis? Closer to home, how do I reason with my son for not cleaning up his toys because he had other things to do? Some wise man said - "Change the man in the mirror first before asking the world to change". Now, I am sure he was just postponing his occasional social visit, but he does have a point. Then again, another wise man said - "Hard work pays over time, but laziness pays now". I will leave it to you to figure out who was the wiser one. Or you can do it later.

A battery jump start from AAA and a ride from my wife later, I was lighter on accounts of my bank balance and self righteousness. In the near future, I may think twice before blaming my son, wife, colleagues and policymakers when they say - "I will do it, but now is not the time".

Since this experience has become an edifice of my procrastination aftereffect, you may think I have become better in getting stuff done by now. But consider this - I have been putting this post up for a week now. Thankfully, blogger.com does not tow unclaimed draft posts!