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Late vs. Never

A quick glimpse at the calendar shows that there are only 79 days remaining in 2006. (It seems like just yesterday there were at least 80 days left.) Hopefully, you've had a fantastic year so far and you're prepared to make the most of what's left. If you haven't gotten around to accomplishing some of your goals for 2006, never fear - there's still time.

Many of us naturally find ourselves a bit behind this time of year. Take - oh, I don't know - me, for instance. For years, Tanya and I shared this delusion that we would be able to send out holiday cards in time for the holidays. And I'm not talking about President's Day or Flag Day - the actual seasonal ones. Each year, we planned how we would take a stunning family photo, pen our personal greetings to each recipient, and happily trod off to the post office.

I would stop and imagine how happy those special people in my life would react when seeing our holiday card in their mailboxes. My mom and dad would beam with pride, my best friend from high school would marvel at how long it had been, and the Dalai Lama would sit and reflect on just how cool I am. (Aw, shucks.)

The reality, of course, was quite different. Time would get away from us year after year and we would have to rush to throw something together. In recent years, we didn't even send out cards. Many would-be recipients opted out of the greeting exchange in disgust. (Goodbye, Dalai.) It became a running joke - a mix of embarrassment, exhaustion, and frustration. We just couldn't seem to get it together, so we pretty much gave up.

Know that feeling? Ever felt like things had gotten so far out of hand that it seemed pointless to put forward the effort? Sometimes we fall so far behind, we don't want to get back up. Never finished that project, never got that degree, never set those goals, never quite got around to it.

Personally, I think that "never" sucks out loud.

I've come to realize that things are going to run amok from time to time. Things are going to slip and you are going to get off schedule. Modern life is hectic and there are a lot of demands. Even the most prudent time manager can find themselves with too little of the precious stuff. Hey - life happens.

But, I've also come to realize that it's never too late to get to those really important things in life. If you can move past the hang-ups, you can still find a way to do the undone. When you look at it compared to the alternative, late kicks butt. Late says "I may have had some issues there, but I'm back, baby."

Late shouldn't be a badge of shame. It should be a badge of persistence. We should honor the well-intentioned late for not giving up and for finally doing what it takes to see things through.

We ultimately decided that our holiday snafu needed a creative solution. We created a composition of family photos for all the years that we missed and sent it off to family and friends. (Yours should arrive any day now.) We had a good laugh about the situation and ended up with quite the memorable card. (And now a travel-sized success column.)

As for this year's cards, we'll see how it goes. If I end up falling behind - don't worry. I know what to do.

Do you?