Thursday, May 16, 2024
Timing is everything. The very start of life depends on the timing of the egg and fertilization. If an egg is not ovulated or does not get fertilized at precisely the right time, no pregnancy results. For farmers, the timing of rainfall has everything to do with whether a crop grows and creates a bountiful harvest. In sports, there are all sorts of penalties and failures for not meeting the deadline of the pitch count, 24-second clock, or the final buzzer. If the timing is off, there is failure.
With the coming of cooler weather, it is the time of the year to get jackets and coats out of the back closet. I have a London Fog golf jacket that I am particularly fond of. It fits me well, and the material is of the weight that I can wear the coat most days during the winter, and it keeps me warm. It is not bulky nor cumbersome, and I feel comfortable in it. It has a look which never goes out of style and is of a color which goes with almost anything.
As I have grown old, I recognize that I get comfortable with a particular item and do not really care to try a “new” or different product to replace something I already enjoy. If you are particularly satisfied with a product, why explore a new product which you may or may not like? Unless the new product offers a feature, which is truly a revelation and will thus make a significant improvement in my life, I will stick with what I am accustomed to.
A few weeks ago, when the weather broke, and the first fall “nip” was in the air, I started wearing my favorite jacket. It might have been a little early, but we all know how that fall is: need a jacket in the morning and only need to wear a t-shirt by late afternoon.
Somehow, I managed to misplace my jacket. I could not find it in my car, office, or at home. I traced steps back to places I had visited where I might have taken off the jacket and forgotten to put it back on, but my search was to no avail. It was frustrating, and I was angry with myself for losing my jacket like a first-grade schoolboy. To prevent myself from being “coatless,” I jumped on the internet and ordered the exact same jacket as a replacement. After all, I knew I liked everything about the coat, the weather was going to continue to get cooler, and I needed a replacement. There was no sense in waiting any longer.
When the package arrived a day or two later, I unwrapped the jacket and cut off the tags and immediately wore it the next day to work. It was cool that morning, and the jacket felt comfortable, in some ways like an old friend. It was reassuring. I had gotten a replacement and I had taken care of myself, something which I frequently fail to do appropriately.
Wouldn’t you know it, two days later I found the first jacket. While I felt a tiny bit of satisfaction that I had recovered the lost item, there was a sense of despair when I realized I now had two exactly similar jackets. I had removed the tags and worn the new jacket so I could not return it. Suddenly, I felt foolish and a little forlorn. I had spent money I did not need to spend, and what the heck was I going to do with two of the same jackets?
Upon reflection, the episode has caused me to laugh at myself for losing the coat in the first place. One friend, upon learning of my plight, joked that perhaps I had one jacket for each of my personalities. The staff at the newspaper got a good laugh out of my antics.
I know perfectly well that if I had waited two weeks to order the replacement jacket, I would have never found the first one. Was it karma that I had to order a new jacket to find the first one?
I have taken the “newer” jacket and hidden it in my closet. When the “old” jacket gets worn, or rips, or I misplace it again, I will already have a replacement in hand. Think of the time and trouble I will save. After all, timing is everything.
Thought for the day: The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese!
Until next time….I will keep ridin’ the storm out.
sam@hcnews.com
