Pro..cras..tin..aaaa...tion, it's makin' me wait (sung to the tune of Anticipation)

Giving a gift certificate to a procrastinator in this economic environment can prove to be problematic.

Take me for instance, for the past five Christmases I have received gift certificates to a wonderful arts and crafts store located in a little city about a half hour's drive from my home. Now this little shop carries everything that an artist dreams about, but a fifty dollar gift certificate probably would only purchase a few tubes of artist grade oil paints. So, I have been saving them up and was planning on using them as soon as I had a reason to schlep to town. In my own defense, I have to say that I’m not entirely certain whether I’m a procrastinator or simply so busy that I can’t see straight. Perhaps it’s a little of both?

Anyway, up until this past weekend I hadn’t had a reason to go to the city, so when it occurred to me on Friday that Mr. T’s birthday was on Sunday and knowing I wouldn’t have an opportunity to bake him a cake, I planned the next best thing; I would make a side trip on my way to his house on Sunday and buy him a fabulous cake from a fancy bakery (read expensive here). And then I remembered that I’d be passing the art store, so when Sunday rolled around I put his gift and birthday card in the car, scooped up the gift certificates and sped into town. My first stop the bakery, and then I would swing down Pine Street for a quick stop at the art store. Yeah!!

So I first bought this fabulous vanilla and chocolate layer cake covered with butter cream icing, topped off with a layer of ganache and lovely hand piped sweet peas. It was a work of art in and of itself, and looked too good to eat. I handed the cashier a king’s ransom, took the cake out to my car and then drove over toward the art store. Now you have to pass the store front before you turn into the parking lot, and so as I passed the store window I looked in to see all the fabulous goodies they had to offer, but instead was horrified to see a HUGE SIGN with red letters saying CLOSED OUT OF BUSINESS. I was so shocked I would have choked on the cake if I were eating it.

All I could think of, as I slowly drove by and on up to Mr. T’s place, were the gift certificates stuffed in my lime green pocketbook. I guess I could continue to beat myself mentally, because it was my own fault I’d missed the opportunity to go hog wild in an art store, but being human I rationalized the situation as it occurred to me that it was cruel to give a procrastinator a gift certificate. Nonetheless I needed to make a plan so I would never again be thrust into a situation like this one. And with that I developed a plan…in the future when I receive a gift certificate I’ll not let time slip away until it’s too late as in this instance, I’ll do what every other procrastinator should do, and that is box up the gift card and give it to someone else! Yes, that’s it, regifting! I just need to make certain they’re not a procrastinator too! Sigh.

CD~