My husband John and I are going on vacation later this month along with our sons, Jonathon and Jacob. We’ll be driving to visit family in Nebraska, which means I’ve been in planning and countdown mode since August.
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a planner – with a capital “P.” My calendar is an assortment of both work and personal tasks, including my weekly cleaning rotation duties. By the way, I always strive to submit this column two days ahead of time. Yes, it’s a sickness.
I can’t help it. I love having my color-coded calendar and task list at the ready. Throwing various “to-dos” on Google makes me feel calm and prepared. I’ll soon create my paper checklist of what I need to buy for the trip. I’ll also start packing a week ahead of time.
I’m willing to bet that half of you are thinking I need psychiatric help. The other half are saying “Dang, she’s really behind.”
I’m not completely sure where this planning/organization trait of mine came from. My birthparents aren’t/weren’t like this. My dad sure wasn’t.
Growing up, my mom was pretty organized – our home was nearly spotless. She did have one weakness, however, which she lamented about often. Her recipes were all over the place. But I think she may have influenced my super-planner behavior.
Being a Highly Sensitive Person may come into play as well. People like me tend to want to keep their surroundings neat and tidy. We hate being rushed and work to be ready for various situations.
This photo shows one of our columnist’s weaknesses. (Photo provided by Amy Shankland)
Granted, I’m not perfect. On our last trip, as we were driving down to Florida, I groaned as I realized something and quickly put my head in my hands. (John was at the wheel.)
“What’s wrong?” John asked.
“I forgot something!” I lamented. He rolled his eyes and chuckled.
“You mean to tell me you started packing a week ahead of time and still forgot something?” he asked. I’m sure he felt quite smug, as he’s a “night before” packer. Okay, I know he felt smug.
I think all families need their planners and their pantsers. What’s a pantser? It’s a term I learned from my writing world. A pantser is someone who “flies by the seat of their pants” … someone who doesn’t usually have a detailed plan or outline for things.
John is most definitely a pantser. He helps me ease back a little and not do things like start our Christmas list in June. I’m grateful for him, because he helps me live more in the moment, as we all should. And I (hopefully!) help him think ahead about things when he really needs to.
I actually have let go of some tendencies over the years. Our house is not 100 percent in order – please don’t look under my desk … or in our attic … or in our basement.
And my recipes? Well … let’s just say I take after my mom.
Amy Shankland is a writer and fundraising professional living in Noblesville with her husband John, two sons, two dogs, and a cat. You can reach her via email at amys@greenavenue.info.