Most people do not keep the ridiculous hours I keep but, apparently enough do so that PBS, WGBH has started to put on shows that haven't been seen for many years after midnight on Sunday , at least.  Tonight I watched a very old cooking show by Julia Childs; it was followed by a new opera, Baroque, titled The Enchanted Island.by the Metropolitan Opera Company.

Today was a beautiful, sunny, warm day    There was a time in my past when I loved to work in the yard.  That time has past but the yard doesn't stop needed just because I stop wanting.  Now is the time, right after blossoming, that one should prune bushes.  It became imperative as I have procrastinated for several years.  It is like a man not going to the barber for a year or more.  The world would quickly notice. It is not that I really mind overgrown bushes but when the city sends me notices that they can't get in to read the water meter and will start billing me on an estimated basis, it is time for me to take action.  Today I trimmed an azalea working carefully.  The end result?  The bush looks much smaller but does not reveal the yard barber was sat it.

The world is full of discovery whether it is on TV, in my yard, or in my basement.  Each gives up treasures.  I saw a humming bird on my feeder, heard a mother bird chatter at me for going too near her nest as I was pruning the bush nearby, and found the small, George Foreman grille that was hidden in my basement for the least eight years.  Using Greased Lightning, it now looks brand new.  If you've ever had to wash something out like a noxious smelling and nauseating recyclable bin, a greasy pan or oven shelf, I know of no better product.  Spray it on, wipe it off and then wash it.

Saturday chores were even pleasant.  Gas has become cheaper since the last time I filled up my czar...always a pleasant surprise. I've decided I'm just feeling like an optimistic person.  For those of you who wonder about optimism, listen to the TED; watch the talk by Teli Sharot here.

PROCRASTINATION

I've often wondered about the word 'procrastination' I wondered if there is an 'anti-crastination'. After all, if you are 'pro' something, you should be able to be 'anti' the same thing. The dictionary lists suggestions for words when it can't find the one it believes you don't know how to spell. The first suggestion it gave, since there doesn't seem to be a singular 'crastination', was constipation. I thought that was very rational of Merriam-Webster. The fourth suggestion boggled me a bit...it was Christianization. Even though I realized that it was a computer making this selection, it set me to thinking through what happens to people who rely on religion to solve everything. I am impressed that the computer picked Christianization and actually brought up a good point.

While not all religious people believe that God will take care of everything for them with no effort on their part, there are too many, in my opinion, who take no responsibility for their own actions and just turn over decisions and outcomes to 'God's Will'. Nowhere was this more evident than in Greece 30 or more years ago while the country was predominantly Greek Orthodox with relatively few other religions standing out Only people around the major cities and academic institutions had computers, and TV was primarily featuring old American sit-coms. The Junta was running the country with an iron hand. A sister college in the US collected monies and gave them to Anatolia College in Greece, to help the farmers by buying them farm equipment. They were given tractors and other major mechanical tools for preparing the ground, tilling, planting, and harvesting. A few years later, when visited by their benefactors, they saw was the machinery rusting and unused. Inquiries revealed that there had been no maintenance to speak of, no oiling, or repairs. When asked why equipment was not working, the response was it is in God's hands, ( reported by a professor friend of mine in personal communication)

You are not born a procrastinator. It is a way of life determined by many factors. Deadlines, growing children, and pay checks to keep the household working were elements to prohibit my being a procrastinator some years ago. Some behavioral techniques are also helpful. I say to myself, "If you write this difficult letter, you can then reward yourself by playing a song on the piano." Or, "Get this noxious task over and you can spend some time reading the funny stuff in your email." I can hear my father's voice, clearly in my head, though I have not heard him in life for over 20 years, saying, "Never leave until tomorrow what you can get done today!" My priorities are clearly different than his were and there are many more distractions in my world than there were in his. Maybe I'll finish this tomorrow............