Went to the Australian High Commission yesterday, to lodge my son's passport renewal. The security surprised me - I guess not really, but it was a bit unnerving having all our stuff scanned and ID taken and walking through the metal detector.
Inside though, it was very pleasant. Free internet browsing while you wait. Calm, cool atmosphere and the best thing of all, it well organised. Clean toilets too, always a bonus here, though I expected nothing less.
It was such a pleasure dealing with the people there - they were pleasant, well-groomed and efficient. Unlike the malay bureaucrats, the Australians know what they are talking about, they all give the same answers and they are easy to understand. Still, I was soooo happy that the passport lodgement went well. Jumping up and down in fact. Go the Aussies!
My history is such that I've often disregarded the importance of being organised and had to deal with the consequences (ie I remember one time my sort of ex-h and I were going to malaysia for a holiday. One week before I casually checked my passport to see if all was in order and it had expired 4 months prior. Boy, did I have a fit!) Anyway, that being as it was, it's taken me 20 years to become organised - better late than never, I guess.
So being organised and planning to the 'enth degree is a strategy I use (thanks to my sort of ex-h) to help me cope with big events. It has saved me more times than I can count. Of course, i used to not plan anything, unless it was terribly important to me (and only me), but now I plan and organise much more and find it's something I can't do without. I come from a family of non-planners and they can't understand my need to do this - I'll plan what I want to say in a telephone call if I think it will help - but I've got to do it.
So here's to being organised and planning, fellow BPD'ers. You can do it too.
2 comments:
I used to think that making plans would steal away all life's spontaneity. These days I realise what it takes away is the stress.
I'm still not very good at it though, and if things start to slip I tend to stand around flapping until I'm knee deep in do-do instead of dealing with the problem.
I hear you. I do lots of writing down check lists etc. I used to think it was so "ho-hum, who needs it", but now....now I couldn't do without it. I'm planning a holiday in Melbourne in May and started planning it in Feb. Just got to get it right.
Re: flapping, when things get overwhelming, take one small step at a time. You can ask yourself, what's the first thing I need to do and go from there. The first step is always the hardest, but you don't get anywhere unless you take it. I even apply this to doing housework - dishes? start with one or two and pretty soon I'm done. If I don't finish it, I don't beat myself up, at least I got some done.
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