I'm late, I'm late for a very important date....... well, not really

Being Guest Editor this past week, had me learning a lot about aol journals.   It's been rather fun:)   One thing I found, is that there's a weekend assignment.  I sometimes wondered where Dan pulled his assignments from.   Weekend Assignment #140: You're Late!   Anyway, this guy has weekly assignments, and seems as if others do as well.   Have I ever been late to something important?   And, do I wear a watch?

Think about this.   My head is going in several directions at once.   On top of that, I'm distracted readily.   I have learned coping mechanisms, calendars and routines are my friends, for example, trying to always put something away in the same spot each time to remember where it is when needed, etc.   Still.   Okay, time's up -- yes, of course I've sometimes been late to something important.   One trick I"ve heard this past year is to focus on what time I need to LEAVE by, not focus on what time I need to BE there by.   Slight shift in mindset, it does help.   (I can also focus real quickly and zoom once I realize I have x minutes left before leaving, a trait my child hasn't learned quite yet.)

Thee worst time when I've been late is likely during the custody, visitation, and child support series of trials and court dramatics full of meetings and days of depositions and investigations anyadda yadda yadda.   One of the first court meetings is when both of our lawyers, and us, approach a judge to get a preliminary temporary agreement in place while we hash out all the rest of the bs.   I forget what it's called, but it's highly mighty important.   And, I knew that and respected that.   One of the many other original meetings of sorts I had was either the mediation date (somehow I'm remembering it as that and yet I didn't receive notice of the first one......... yeah, um, never showed is different from late, but I didn't receive notice so couldn't help that and went to the next one, early, and all agreed that one session of mediation was more than enough), or the "how to be a good co-parent" class.   I forget now which.   I had the dates correct for each one of these, but I had the times reversed in my head.    The class or mediation or something, was scheduled for early afternoon, and my preliminary hearing thing, very important, was scheduled in the morning.   I had them reversed, thinking I had all morning to get myself prepared for my afternoon preliminary hearing.   My e-calendar is at work, and these notices would come to my home.

I got a call from my lawyer, "where are you?"   Huh?   SHHHHIII...........    I did show up, while they were still fussing at each other.   My lawyer was so ticked, as his lawyer was ready to ramrod me completely, flip custody possibly, everything I think, oy.   (M's father has never lived with us, and didn't spend a lot of time with her previous to this, regular but not exactly coparenting, flipping custody would make no sense.)   It would have been really bad.   Anyway, my lawyer got ticked and it was a good thing, cuz I needed her to stick up for me.  I'd have been as browbeat by his lawyer as I always felt by him.   It worked out, the judge there was more realistic than his lawyer.  He allowed time for recess or whatever, too, to wait for me, oy.   But.  It'd have gone better, however, if I'd showed on time or early.   If I had not gotten those times mixed up in my head.   It was a very important thing to have been late to.   I'll never forget that.   (And didn't mix up dates/times for anything else for court!)

Watch?   Eh, I'll go in phases.  I like to wear one so that I can read what time it is when I wake up.   Yes, I have a clock.   I can't always see that far, however:)   I don't sleep with my glasses on, or, um, rarely.   Otherwise, I tend to use other clocks, or my cell phone, or the radio dial in the car (which I can see as I have my eyeglasses on then).   Also, if a watch battery dies, it takes me eons to get it replaced.   When M was first born, I had been wearing my watch constantly, but it hit the back of her head wrong when she nursed.   I thought about it, realized we had no concept of time, anyway, going on, and stopped wearing one.   Until many years later when I found another one, pink!, I rather liked.   Right now, I have one I plan to give to M, whenever I get a new battery put into my pink one, lol.   It's a slapwristband thing with beagles on it.   It's wrapped around my purse strap at the moment.  :)   I know when I plan to leave here by today -- I'm walking a neighbors dog tonight, and she'll get concerned if I'm not there early.