This morning, as I continue my slow progress ('progress' is the key) through all the junk in our basement, I ran across the gift certificate that my gorgeous and sweetly caring wife, Julia, gave me for my birthday.
(point of clarity: did I have piles to sort through, tossing old and retaining relevant? You bet I did. Did those piles look like the illustration above? Um...no. But it was not quite as bad as the following illustration, I promise...and I am not about to tell you which of the two is closer to the truth.)
My birthday is in February, so while I knew I had this great treat--a one-hour massage--in my back pocket, I had not really gotten motivated to locate the certificate. I knew I had it, and I thought I had until some point early next year to use it.
Did I have it? Yes.
Did I have until some point early next year to use it? No.
This wonderful gift, given to me ten months ago, was one my wife had purchased well in advance. No, not just a week or two...two months in advance.
I was shocked to see that it expires on December 7th. Dang! My first thought was, "it has expired!" because of the number of things I have on the schedule for this coming week which had me thinking Dec 8, 9, 10, etc. Then, after a moment of calendar math (do not try this at home without a certified Calendarian Mathematician involved, as you might strain a brain muscle), I realized that I had one last chance: today.
After logging on and viewing available appointments at the Serenity Now massage-therapy practice (these folks are good. No, great!), I saw that there was exactly one appointment which would meet my preferred schedule. Needless to say, I grabbed that appointment, and early this afternoon, I will be as loose and relaxed as one can be after my massage...the just-in-time one, that is.
Timing. It's a wonderful thing when it works in your favor.
14 comments:
Yez ... timing IS a wonderful thing. I hope you enjoy your massage. I'm working on clearing out 'stuph' in my environment too with the goal of minimizing and simplifying everything. For me it's about progress as well. I'm a February birthday too ;--)
Hugs
My massage was excellent, relaxing, and enjoyable!
Thanks for your insight, storyteller. Love the "stuph" spelling, as it makes it sound like something which can make one sick ("staph"). After all, it can certainly cause one to be stuck!
Are you also an Aquarius baby?
Love your associations to my personalized spelling of 'stuph' and may give some thought to the 'sickness' element because I've been 'stuck' for a loooonnng time! Not Aquarius ... I'm Pisces (on the cusp) but my 'ex' was (and best friend is) an Aquarian and I gather you are too. Small world indeed.
Hugs and blessings,
ST -- my wife is Pisces, full-blown (Feb 27), so we continue to find similarities.
Not sure where I heard it, but I have heard Pisces/Aquarian matches can be exciting (take that whichever way you wish: 'exciting' good, or 'exciting' distressing--for, me it's working)
Timing and syncronicity---it seems like it is the perfect time for decluttering and restructuring. I myself am doing the same thing here...
Congratulations on being open to the now and able to relax into what the day brought you! xxoo,
O
Wow, your wife sure plans in advance! And I thought I was bad... :)
Here's to February birthdays! (Also Aquarians, cause we rock!)
O--I think my challenge to stay in the now and relax would be far easier to face if a massage came with it even more often! [big grin]
SupaCoo--my wife reminded me that it was my fault my gift certificate came so close to expiring: last year at this time, it was penny-pincher me who saw the sale going on at the massage place, and I may have dropped a less-than-subtle hint as to what I would love for my birthday, still 50-some days hence. Oh...and I may have mentioned to her about the special sale price which was about to expire...
I am glad you made this appointment just in time!
I had the opportunity to clear out my study in preparation for painting it. Oh my, the things I found! And yes, there were some gift certificates amongst the findings. They haven't expired yet but now is the time to plan to use them.
Thanks for the reminder!
Steve--I think this is a perfect example as to why it is vital to let things settle for a few years before cleaning them out! The number of treasures to be found is far greater if the mess has had time to mature and season.
I will clean no mess before its time.
Thanks for stopping by, my friend!
Mmmmmm, massages are da bomb. I'm glad you found in in time to use it. I'm bad about finding those things about a year too late. And yes, my stack of stuff looks much like the second picture. sigh.
Lynilu--massages are the anti-bomb! [grin]
My stuff is no more a 'stack' than Dubya was a 'president.'
Mess, amalgamation, disorganized and disheartening mass...yes.
i'm so glad to hear you got to have a massage! it's definitely one of the best anti-stress treatments. i am joining in the clearing clutter competition as well. we are getting ready to paint and rearrange the house again. i hope someday we'll be done with all that-- not just when it's time to move and start all over again! XOXOX
I got huge vicarious pleasure from knowing you weren't too late to redeem that massage certificate. It seemed to make up for all those coupons and certificates I ever allowed to expire. Gah!
I hope you really enjoyed the treat, Rick. You deserve it.
For some reason, I just don't like massages - and neither does my wife. We like physical touch from each other but just aren't comfortable with it from most other people, so massages are the opposite of soothing for us.
I know lots of people that love massages - sounds like you're closer to that end of the spectrum. And it sounds like your wife is an awesome planner that knows what you like!
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