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Do you rehearse before you do things? Or do you just dive into life and let it happen? Are you a planner, or are you spontaneous?
The question that drew me in for this prompt was this one: “Before making a phone call, do you ever rehearse what you’re going to say? Why?”
I absolutely loathe phone calls. This is something that grew worse with time.
I Hate Phonecalls
When I lived in the city and would call to make an appointment with my GP, they would try their hardest to dissuade me from coming in. The thing is, I wouldn’t call the doctor if it weren’t absolutely necessary. I hate going to the doctor. So if I make that phone call, you can be sure there is no other way, and I already tried it with regular painkillers and more rest.
Where I live today, they first make the appointment before asking what it’s about. That helps a lot. But still, my husband will call for me if I need an appointment, and I will call for him. And still, they ask me questions I wasn’t prepared for.
My mind doesn’t process things quickly. I’m more of a slow, deep thinker. And I hate being thrown off-guard.
Planning Every Detail
To answer the other questions: I am definitely a planner. Let’s say my husband and I plan an outing to the zoo. I will go over the day in my head and go over everything we might need. What are we going to eat? Do we need sunscreen? Where are my cap and my husbands’? Are the camera batteries charged, and are the memory cards available?
The result is I will go to the supermarket and buy way too many supplies for one day—six bottles of drink, four rolls of sweets and peppermint, ten chocolate bars etc. etc.
I have toned it down the last couple of years in all fairness, having acknowledged I have this tendency to overbuy and be over-prepared.
So yes, I always plan ahead. You cannot call me in the morning – please don’t call me, just send a message – and invite me to do something new in the afternoon. I need time to prepare.
No More Spontaneity
I’m pretty disgruntled I have become this way. When I was a teenager, I was way more spontaneous. I went on days out, or even vacations to another country, pretty much on a whim. I’m a bit sad I lost that spontaneity. Unfortunately, in the current Covid times, things are not gonna change soon. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll loosen up again and start doing fun activities again. I’d better get preparing.
