It is all Relative (Blog 3 of 30)

You may think that time is a constant, but somehow it doesn't always work that way for me.

For example, projects- regardless of what they are - house renos, working on stuff in my garage - always take way more time than I think they will.  Always!

On the other hand, shopping never takes as long as I suspect.

Tonight, I had to go to Canadian Tire to buy a new battery for our SUV (that is another story - tomorrow's blog) and because I was doing other things, I did not leave the house until 8:10.  Canadian Tire closes at 9 and it takes at least 10 minutes to drive over there.  Then there is usually a line at the parts counter and it often takes the little high school dude that is working that night a while to find whatever I want in the computer and then to find the actual thing on the shelf.  Then he would have to fill out all the warranty information for the thing, which always takes a while too.

In other words, I thought I was cutting it sort of close.

Then I get half way over there and there is a train on the tracks.  Like not crossing the tracks, but sitting there.  So - of course - I had to sit too.  I waited,..... and waited.... and waited..... and the clock kept ticking and ticking and ticking.  I was starting to panic!  DOESN'T THE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY KNOW THAT I HAVE PLACES TO BE???????

Finally the train moved and eventually the long line of cars moved too.  I looked at the clock on the radio and it said 8:21 and I thought, "Well, I am too late now.  I guess I will just go and see what they have since I am almost there now anyway".

Long story short:  I got the battery, paid for it and was back in my garage by 8:36.

8:36!!!!!!!!

The point:  Shopping never takes as long as I think it will..... it just seems like it does..... so I have an idea.

I am going to build an "Old Folks home" on the side of a big shopping mall.  Then, every morning I will give each man in the home a shopping list with like 17 things on it that he has to go get.  Nothing big..... socks, dish soap.... whatever.

When he looks at that list (if he is like me) he will say, "WHAT????  This is going to take all day!"   Eventually his anger will subside and he will decide to go and get it over with..... and when he is done he will look at his watch and say, "WHAT?????  It isn't even noon yet!"...... thus giving him the rest of the day to do whatever he wants.

In the end, he feels like he has been gifted an entire half day...... and he has several drawers of new socks!

It is win/win!  :)