Five years is enough time for memories to completely change. A bad day of the past becomes "the worst day ever," and good memories become euphoric and larger than life.
Hopefully I'm not the only person this happens to -- but I'm almost positive that it's pretty universal...
Here's a good example: five years ago, I ventured to the passport office with my mother to get my very first passport ever. I remember the line being out the door. I remember our parking ticket expiring and having to go run down to the meter to put more money in, since it was taking what felt like ten billion years to move one place ahead in line.
I remember crying babies, a really mean Service Canada employee treating us like cattle in the line, and an even meaner Service Canada employee once we finally reached the counter.
It's this memory of the passport application process that made me leave my renewal until pretty much the last possible moment. My passport has been expired for about 3 months, and the countdown to MAKING THINGS HAPPEN, PART 2 is finally ON...which means the procrastination had to end.
Hopefully I'm not the only person this happens to -- but I'm almost positive that it's pretty universal...
Here's a good example: five years ago, I ventured to the passport office with my mother to get my very first passport ever. I remember the line being out the door. I remember our parking ticket expiring and having to go run down to the meter to put more money in, since it was taking what felt like ten billion years to move one place ahead in line.
I remember crying babies, a really mean Service Canada employee treating us like cattle in the line, and an even meaner Service Canada employee once we finally reached the counter.
It's this memory of the passport application process that made me leave my renewal until pretty much the last possible moment. My passport has been expired for about 3 months, and the countdown to MAKING THINGS HAPPEN, PART 2 is finally ON...which means the procrastination had to end.
(It's a little bit ironic to procrastinate renewing my passport
when I'm renewing it to attend a conference about
kicking butt at your to-do list, but anyway...)
So last week, I picked a day in my calendar with nothing else on it and wrote:
PASSPORT DAY OF DOOM.
I woke up this morning with squinty eyes and a general disposition of unhappiness, thinking about what I was about to do.
To make things better, I woke up with a ginormous kink in my hair where the dog shared my pillow for most of the night. Perfect.
In an attempt to turn the whole day around, I prepared for the hours I would spend in the government office by charging up my kindle, downloading the new book club book, and getting a big iced coffee for the road.
And then I dropped the ENTIRE iced coffee in my lap, on my shoes, and all over the mat on the floor of my car.
To make things better, I woke up with a ginormous kink in my hair where the dog shared my pillow for most of the night. Perfect.
In an attempt to turn the whole day around, I prepared for the hours I would spend in the government office by charging up my kindle, downloading the new book club book, and getting a big iced coffee for the road.
And then I dropped the ENTIRE iced coffee in my lap, on my shoes, and all over the mat on the floor of my car.
OH, EXCELLENT.
By the time I made it to the passport office, my day had gone so horribly that I couldn't help but laugh a bit at how my memory of a bad day five years ago was probably at fault for ruining this day.
I took a number from the first window and before I even had time to flick my kindle on, my number was called. Up to the desk where the man punched in a lot of codes and numbers, told me that I had filled out my application perfectly and that my photos met all of the requirements for shape/size/lack-of-smiling, handed me a receipt and told me to expect the passport delivery in two weeks.
For real?
That's it?
All that hype and I'm leaving the office before 10am?!
On the drive home I got to thinking about how the passport experience five years ago probably wasn't as bad as I was remembering (but I'll have to ask my mom someday if she remembers it!).
So here's the making it happen...and having your day turned around before noon :)
I took a number from the first window and before I even had time to flick my kindle on, my number was called. Up to the desk where the man punched in a lot of codes and numbers, told me that I had filled out my application perfectly and that my photos met all of the requirements for shape/size/lack-of-smiling, handed me a receipt and told me to expect the passport delivery in two weeks.
For real?
That's it?
All that hype and I'm leaving the office before 10am?!
On the drive home I got to thinking about how the passport experience five years ago probably wasn't as bad as I was remembering (but I'll have to ask my mom someday if she remembers it!).
So here's the making it happen...and having your day turned around before noon :)
P.S. I'm now 150% psyched for going to Making Things Happen in just over a month with two wonderful friends! The next piece of the puzzle is to rent a car and book a hotel room, but thankfully I don't have a bad rental car memory as of yet...
P.P.S. I blogged something -- it's a miracle! I have no idea what's been going on with me lately, but the writing juices just haven't been flowing! Bad blogger award goes to me, but I'm kinda okay with that :)
LOL, i'm so glad you're blogging again, i've missed it!! <3 u!
ReplyDeleteIt probably was that bad! I recently had the exact same situation, including running down to feed the parking meter. The big difference I think? The first time was at the Hull office with my mother after work, the second at the Ottawa office in the morning on a workday.
ReplyDelete