The past two nights, I’ve had basically the same dream.
Don’t hang up!
I promise I’m not about to self-indulgently describe them in great detail. Nobody wants that.
Just stick with me for a second—I’m going somewhere with this.
The first night, I convinced my family to throw a baby shower for my ex-boyfriend’s pregnant wife. Incredibly awkward because—just like in real life—I’ve never met her and don’t keep in touch with the ex.
For some reason (because: dream logic), everyone agreed to it.
At the shower, I gave a toast—one I waited until right before the whole cursed affair to prepare.
I'm still shaking off the feeling of all the blank stares as it fell flat (the whole thing hinged on a breast pump metaphor that, tragically, my waking mind can't recall).
Last night’s dream wasn’t much better.
I'd waited until the day of my wedding to get a manicure, which—unlike real life—was taking place at an amusement park.
Roller coasters. Snack stands. Themed characters. And not a nail salon in sight.
I wound up biting my nails into stubs and begging some Wite-Out from the front office for a hasty attempt at a bridal vibe.
You don't have to be Freud to figure out: the common theme is panic caused entirely by me.
I could have written the baby shower speech earlier. I could have gotten my nails done at my go-to spot the week before my combination amusement park—wedding day.
It’s also not hard to see where this lack of planning-induced stress shows up in my actual life.
As an example, I recently waited until two weeks before a trip to Wisconsin to book my flight.
A trip I knew was happening months in advance.
Unsurprisingly, the ticket cost way more than when I first looked at flights. Total own goal.
Taylor recently shared a good reminder on the power of setting your clothes out the night before. It’s one of those life "hacks" that somehow still feels revelatory when you actually do them.
Because the most obvious advice is usually the stuff we need reminding of the most, like:
Don’t wait until the last minute or you will cause yourself unnecessary stress, panic, and (often) money.
You can extrapolate that pretty easily to the rest of life:
Don’t wait to tell the person you love that you love them.
Don’t wait to quit the job that makes you dread waking up in the morning.
Don’t wait to book the therapy appointment, or the colonoscopy.
Or you’ll end up at the amusement park on your wedding day with raggedy nails, and nobody wants that.
See you in your dreams,
