TO DO? DONE!!

What one thing can’t you seem to scratch off your to-do list? How do you ensure you finish your tasks on time? Do you wait till the final hour, and then savour the adrenaline rush as you fight to meet your deadline?

Amongst the many peculiarities I have (as a fairy), I have found that I have this habit of leaving things to the last minute. My close friends will testify to running for trains, buses, etc., and in Nigeria, frantic scrambling to the airport, especially to the airport!

This picture is a screenshot of my life; sometimes I wonder why I'm not skinnier, I'm almost always running somewhere!

One particular airport race comes to mind: in July I was in Nigeria and I had to visit Lagos like every other weekend to work and/or play. For one of the trips, the flight was scheduled for 10.08am and apart from the boarding gate closing 40 minutes to take-off (more like three minutes in reality sha); you need to give an hour and a half for traffic on the way to the airport, and possible chaotic queues at the boarding gates. Not to mention the single luggage and body scanner that can take anything from 4 minutes to an hour (again depending on the queue).

Anyways, so with all the above you would think I’d have left the house by 8am abi? For where? I think I was deciding what to wear then. Lol. I got a taxi about 8.45am and we set off, then I remembered I needed to pop into my old office to pick something I’d need in Lagos. So, to the office we went.

9am. The item I was to pick up was ready, but the code (or something) was with another human being somewhere else in this world, the item was useless without it, and I didn’t want to risk taking it and then not being able to use it.

9.15am. finally got it sorted, cursed myself for not making arrangements to drive myself to the airport, threatened the cabbie that I’d eat his heart (or something just as scary) if I missed the flight, and starting to think of Plan B because I was sure I would miss it.

9.50am. Taxi guy made it there in record time, and I told myself I would tip him generously. Alas, the queue waiting at the gate perished the thought. Of course my brethren were cutting the queue so the line was longer, and a little chaotic. My adrenaline level was legendary, and I started praying for something to delay the flight. Anything.

9.56am. We were inside the airport now, but by that First Bank signboard. I decided the taxi guy had tried (and also because I didn’t want to be in the car if/when he bumped into another car) so I came down, LEFT MY LUGGAGE IN THE CAR, and ran to get my boarding pass, heels and all.

That's how foolish I felt for leaving my luggage in the car! Warrahell!

9.59am. Boarding pass in hand (one fast, semi-argument with one of the airline officials in the bag), the foolhardiness of leaving my stuff in the taxi dawned on me. To leave the box, catch the flight and have the cabbie send it to me via some transport company? Smiling a ‘no’ to myself, I dashed out of Departures in search of the taxi.

10.03.42. Box in hand, breathless, dignity tucked in my pocket by now, I approached the security clearance area. The queue was as long as a stretch limousine! Of course they had done the ‘final boarding call’ announcement like 20 times by then. I walked to the security guy and told him the final boarding call for my flight had been made and I needed to go board. Seeing my desperation and therefore exalting his office, he started the ‘why are you just coming’ lecture but I could tell he was sold. By the way, this is an unreserved apology for jumping the queue; I normally do not do that.

10.07. The lady at the end of the luggage scanner said she wanted to search my box, that she saw some liquids in it. ‘What the hell’, I said to myself. Guess what I said to her before walking running past? Ask nicely and I’ll tell you!

10.09. Yours truly was running on the tarmac, inwardly thanking God I was an athlete in High School; I would have collapsed walai! The second part of me was thanking God that the door of the plane was still open…

10.10. My ‘majesty’ was seated, and the plane started taxiing. Phew!

I didn’t miss the flight, and that’s the closest I’ve come to missing a flight (before and after then). Of course I’ll never try that with an international flight, except the airline is owned by my father or husband!

Ok, so what brought this story? I was actually going to tell the way I get my tasks done but then I remembered this story (like I can ever forget it), and thought to share. I’ll do that one in a bit.  Lesson learnt? Don’t cut stuff too close FGS!

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