This Is Me--2024 A to Z Theme

My A to Z Themes in the past have covered a range of topics and for 2024 the theme is a personal retrospective that I call "I Coulda Been" which is in reference to my job and career arc over my lifetime. I'll be looking at all sorts of occupations that I have done or could have done. Maybe you've done some of these too!

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Under the Wire (#atozchallenge)


          Procrastination is only a big deal if you don't make your deadline in time.   The emotional and physical duress that comes with procrastination all becomes a memory once you've achieved your mission successfully.




Under the Wire

        What I was saying in my previous post is that now I've caught up to myself in the A to Z and I'm churning out my posts under the wire.  I've been waiting until that last minute to wrap up each post.  Not really sure what I'm waiting for or why I'm doing it.  Maybe it's partly because the last week of letters have some of the toughest ones.  From what I've read in the past, I'm not the only one who finds the biggest challenge of the A to Z postings is coming up with something creative for U,V, X, Y, and Z.   W isn't too bad usually, but those others can get tricky.

      Once again we come to a time idiom.   "Under the wire" is a great time idiom to use in the the context of the thought in my previous paragraph.  A Google search reveals that "under the wire" originally comes from horse racing in the days when a wire was stretched across the finish line to more easily determine which horse came in first.

         If my personal A to Z Challenge were a horse race I'd still be finishing, but just barely.  It's almost a metaphor for my life.  I've typically been one to cut things close especially when things start coming to the end of my run.  Maybe it's my subconscious way of not wanting things to end.  If I'm enjoying myself or comfortable with what I'm doing, I don't want it all to end.

         But the nice thing is that once one finish line has been crossed a new race begins.  It's a new beginning whether I take some time to rest back at the stable or just jump into another race--metaphorically speaking.  Come to think of it, I speak in metaphors often at this blog.  The way I see it as a writer, metaphors add a bit of interest to writing. And speaking as a person, or at least personally speaking, I see life in metaphors much of the time.  Life is like a novel where I'm the main character, but the darn thing is still being written.  I hope it's a really big book and I'm only half way through.

          Do you think you still have a long way to go in your life?   Do you wish your life had a good editor to correct some of your errors?   Have you ever imagined a life episode and made it come true?







43 comments:

  1. I'm living my life similarly to the way I write these posts for the A-Z - making them up on the spot and then sitting back and feeling quite pleased with the direction they've taken :) I'm here to say Thank YOU for creating this wonderful way in which we can all come together - it's my 4th Time and I've made lots of blogging buddies through it which I wouldn't have done so I have a lot to be thankful for. Cheers :)
    http://pempispalace.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/t-is-for-terrible-teacher.html

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    1. SENCO, so at least there's you and me, but I think we are among the many who write and work in the same way we live. It makes sense.

      Thanks for your continued support and participation in the A to Z Challenge. It's been a ride and it looks like we might still have a long way to go in this journey.

      Lee

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  2. I assume there is a long way to go ... I don't know. Sometimes I feel this is it and other times I am pumped up with energy to make it feel like there is a long way to go..I wish I could fix and edit a few things, guess everyone does. A few things did go as I planned so glad for that.
    I never thought that those wires and end ribbons in races has a purpose. It's funny I always thought it was there for victor's amusement.
    I agree on last alphabets ...
    Nice post!
    Thanks for sharing:)

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    1. Karnika, the problem is that we never do know when the time will be up. It's a mystery and sometimes a cruel trick of fate.

      Lee

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  3. Hi Lee - yes I have a long way to go - I sincerely hope! Nearly done here though ... and I'd fix a few things ... but I'd be writing an encyclopedia ... cheers and see you at the end ... Hilary

    http://positiveletters.blogspot.co.uk/2017/04/u-is-for-unicorn.html

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    1. Hilary, hope we all have a long way to go with quality interwoven throughout.

      Lee

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  4. Every day a new race comes along for me. I don't like to procrastinate though.

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    1. L.Diane, I doubt whether many of us like to procrastinate, but for some of us it's just another bad habit.

      Lee

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  5. I could have written this post - it fits me to a tee! Here's wishing you a long book (er, life)! :)

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    1. Susan, I guess many of us could have expressed ideas similar to what I've written here.

      Lee

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  6. I just keep on running the race, taking turns where I like and see what occurs. A good editor would have been nice a time or two maybe, but then if you edit, you never learn.

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    1. Pat, so true. No one lives a perfect life, but if we learn from our mistakes it might bring us closer to perfection.

      Lee

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  7. "Procrastination is only a big deal if you don't make your deadline." True, and I always do. The problem? Thinking there's plenty of time yet. The next thing you know, there isn't! I had every post subject picked out in March, but then went another way on a few of them. Only two to go. Whew! Resting at the stable after that. ☺ That was the A to Z. In life, there is hopefully a long way to go, yet. We mostly "go with the flow" and hope for the best.

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    1. Debbie D, better to go with the flow than to fret about the whole darn thing.

      Lee

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  8. As much as I try to plan ahead, I usually end up scrambling at the last minute because some things can be "planned" ahead, but not "done" ahead of time. Under the wire often describes my life.

    Trudy @ Reel Focus
    Food in Film: Ugli Fruit

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    1. Trudy, we all know about those "best laid plans" because we often have seen them go astray.

      Lee

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  9. I love having things planned ahead, but rarely get to be in that position for any length of time. When I participated in the A to Z a couple years ago, it was great because I'd set a deadline with a friend to have all our posts written and scheduled by mid-March. I always feel so good when I'm able to accomplish things like that, but my nature is that of a procrastinator. I still meet the deadlines, but the last-minute nature of things doesn't always do me any favors.

    I find myself pondering more and more lately about what I'm doing with the days I have left. Not morbid thoughts, but things like, "have I done enough?" with the kids who are still living at home, to influence them in their worldview and their walk. I suppose if we always viewed ourselves as being "under the wire," we'd accomplish a bit more.

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    1. Lynda, nothing morbid about pondering our future. Like you say, if we realize our mortality more realistically we might get busy to accomplish more.

      Lee

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  10. You have a lot of company. This is my first A to Z Challenge and I certainly agree that the end of the alphabet is difficult. Anyone reading the title of my post today can see that I struggled with U until I kind of cheated so I could write about sea turtles.

    Regarding time left and if we have ever imagined a life episode then done it... When we lived in the San Francisco area, some family and friends lost their lives in unrelated incidents. We decided that we were done living life to make money and decided to make a radical change. Living abroad had always appealed to us. We sold everything and moved to Ecuador in our 40's. In the future, another country may call to us but we are happy with our decision.

    Emily | My Life In Ecuador | Underwater Endangered Testudines (a.k.a. Sea Turtles)

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    1. Emily, my wife made her big move from Ecuador to the U.S. around 1990. She's totally happy now being a U.S. citizen and has little desire to return to Ecuador. Still, I wouldn't take a future visit there someday off the table, but it's no big priority for either of us.

      Lee

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  11. In some ways I wish I could correct the mistakes from the past, but I guess they all put me on the path that lead me to today which I wouldn't want to change.

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    1. JoJo, the way I see it is that if you're happy with things as they are then don't ever wish that you could go back to change anything. If you're not happy with the way things are then you should wish to change anything since it could turn out even worse.

      Lee

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  12. I wish I could've done so many things differently, but then my life might've taken a much different path. One different choices would include staying in PA with my paternal grandparents to finish high school instead of going to Massachusetts and a third high school to get away from that small-town atmosphere that was driving me crazy. I would've gone to the University of Pittsburgh for sure, and probably still be there today instead of only just finally making plans to move back to the area. But then I wouldn't have met a lot of the amazing people in my life, and being deprived of the opportunities I've had up here.

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    1. Carrie-Anne, we are who we are and where we are because of the choices we made in the past. Changing things could make the outcome better, but then again it could be a lot worse. We never really know.

      Lee

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  13. Without the errors I endured, my life would not have been as rich. I enjoy an obstacle race! I hope I have a way to go. As with my A-Z tales, I never plan ahead. One day at a time for me.

    Another day in Amble Bay!

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    1. Keith, for one thing we can learn from errors. Making mistakes can also help build new relationships though they can also sometimes hurt old ones.

      Lee

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  14. Frankly I think my life is one or two items away from jumping the shark....

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    1. CW, keep it daring. Don't want to slip into a life of total boredom I guess.

      Lee

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  15. Instead of stressing, I've chosen to skip two letters for now since I didn't have them ready and catch up with the ones I do have finished. I may be able to get those others in under the wire, but if I don't I'm not gonna kill myself over it. Fortunately, I'll add them to my reflection post and people can catch them there...assuming anyone is even reading them in the first place! Still having fun with it and have really enjoyed your Time frame this year :) Thanks, Arlee! Janet

    U is for Urgent

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    1. Janet, no point in stressing over A to Z since it's really your challenge for yourself. I don't particularly stress, but I do obsess. So far I've gotten my posts finished without staying up overly late or anything like that.

      Lee

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  16. If I manage to finish despite my procrastination, it tends to make me lackadaisical, so I cut it even closer the next time out.

    Regardless, I suspect I still have a ways to go with my life. Even if I don't, I'm going to live as though I do.

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    1. Harry, I think I do something similar. I guess we like to test ourselves--or live on the edge.

      Living life as best we can should be our mission.

      Lee

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  17. My cancer diagnosis has lit a writing fire under my reluctant butt, so that's been a good thing. I am a get it done type of person in every area except my creative writing. It's time for that to change.

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    1. Jeri, sorry to hear of the circumstances of the cancer. I need to change my writing habits too--but I've been saying that for a long time.

      Lee

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  18. Great post Arlee thanks. Loved the comments and your responses to them. It's good to get over the wire but there are times I feel underwater swamped by it all. I reckon there's still life in this mare, much still to experience and to finish the race -

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    1. Susan S, even if I have to crawl to the finish line I'd like to put in the effort. But you're right that there are those times when all feels almost hopeless.

      I do have some great commenters!

      Lee

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  19. Lee, I look at my life sometimes seeing I may have only 30-40 years left in this world and think that's not long at all, especially considering I'm 55. My golden years kinda scare me just a bit. I can't imagine living life with out DH nor do I want to, so I pray if we live to be old and he goes before me that God takes me with him. Of course, that may not be what my heavenly Father has planned but I'm so darn human. Oh, yeah it would be awesome to have a self auto-correct to fix my screw ups. lol I guess if I listened to God's quiet voice more often then I would need less editing. :) I don't think I've ever imagined something to make it come true but I sure have had deja vu a number of times and can't shake the sense I've done something before. Was it in a dream or am I actually getting a second chance? Crazy, right? Thanks for sharing your insightful and well timed post.

    Art Sketching Through the Alphabet "U" (Unicorn)

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    1. Cathy, if we knew when our time would be up how would we live life differently? Or would we? Time can be deceiving and old habits are hard to break. I get concerned about finances in my golden years especially when we look at the safety nets and the financial state of our society. Will our money run out? Can we keep living in our present state of comfort? It's something to think about, but no point in worrying oneself sick about it all. God's will be done.

      Lee

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  20. Interesting you should mention it... We learned yesterday that we're going to have to replace the air conditioning and furnace, and were talking about whether to get the most-expensive (and deluxe) or the next one down. This last one lasted seventeen years, and I got to thinking, will I even be around in seventeen years? I'm not going to worry about it: each day is a gift from God, and I'm just going to concentrate on living each day the best I can.

    As for having a good editor for life, you bet I wish I had one.

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    1. John, here in Los Angeles we don't have to use our AC/heater very often. It's now 20 years old. When I've taken advantage of "Tune-up" offers they always turn out to be sales pitches encouraging us to buy a new one. Heck, it's almost like new now and it works so why make that investment? I'm going to wait until we either sell the house or the AC breaks down. And you're right--will we even be around that much longer? I don't want to worry, but I don't want to leave behind bills that someone else has to pay.

      Lee

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  21. I have no idea about my time here and what is left so I want to take each day, even if it sounds Ho-hum, and enjoy it as best as I can. I just finished writing my A To Z the other day.....I must stop that. As for changing anything...no, my life is how it is but I would like to relive one part and change it but not in the way people would think....I'd go the naughty way:)

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  22. My first test for a theme is to see if I can find topics/words for the last letters.

    My plans and reality rarely match, so I've given up on long term planning...just take it as it comes and do the best I can with it. And some things are best left unplanned.

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