The upside to procrastination

Sometimes, when you put something off for ages and ages, you feel like you have accomplished something tremendous when you finally do it. I have found this to be true in a number of situations. Most recently, the issue of getting my oil changed. I have been putting this off for quite a while. I got it changed sometime last year, and they put a little sticker on my windshield to tell me when I had to get it done again.

Initially I really intended to get my oil changed when they said I needed to get it changed. Then the date came and went, and I was all, well, screw it, I’ll go by mileage, you’re supposed to go by mileage anyway. And then the mileage came and went, and I was busy, and when I eventually noticed that I had passed up the mileage, I started pretending the four was a nine – which it MAY HAVE BEEN, YOU DO NOT KNOW – and most recently, when even that didn’t save me, I took the sticker down. The sticker was only depressing me anyway.

Then I discovered that there is a Firestone quite close to where I work, and I reflected that I could just drop off my car in the morning and pick it up on my way out, easy peasy. I printed out a little coupon for an oil change, and I wrote down the number of the Firestone location, so that I could call and make an appointment. There could really be nothing easier than this. But still I put it off and put it off; and today, today, this morning, I finally called and made an appointment. When I hung up the phone, I really felt like I had achieved something. I almost wanted to give myself a prize from my prize system, but fortunately I remembered that that would be insane.

Tomorrow I will have nice new oil! Hooray for my little car! Oh, and, when I called up the place and told him what kind of car I had, and how many miles, he said, “That’s why you bought a Toyota.” Damn straight.