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Unsuccessful Timelines

By Jess Smith

Published May 11, 2011•Updated Jun 18, 2020

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Sigh.  I am deep in packing procrastination mode.  I usually get all of my packing done at least a day or two before I depart. Procrastinating the task seems to enhance my indecisiveness to such a degree that I find myself staring into the closet puzzling over whether to bring the pink shirt or the blue one, and then ultimately throwing them both in the suitcase, resulting in a bag that grazes the airline weigh limit.  Unfortunately, I was not so organized this week, and here I am, the day that I leave…packing.

The upside of all of this is that at the end of the packing debacle is a trip home to Kansas, which begins very late tonight!  Sticky barbecue in all your glorious forms…here I come.

It’s not entirely my fault that I am stuck packing at the last minute.  My entire week is running at least 24 hours behind.

The thing about living as an expat in Bangkok (and, I would imagine, living as a foreigner just about anywhere) is that it is impossible to accurately estimate the amount of time it will take to accomplish anything.  Yesterday I gave myself an enormous window of time in which to pick up the dry cleaning, get a few documents printed double-sided, buy groceries and do the laundry.

Turns out that I needed far more time than estimated.  I accomplished none of the above and after the man at the store, which advertised “printing services” on the door, invited me to step behind the counter to try my own hand at adjusting his printer settings to allow for double-sided printing, I threw in the towel.

Even though it is exaggerated by living in a foreign country, it reminds me that this is how life is.  Things don’t always happen on the timelines we expect (or demand).

Eventually I will complete the packing task.  And will be glad that I’m not traveling by train…