Like most high schoolers, I procrastinate with absolutely everything I do in my life. I have turned in papers at 11:59 PM the day that it’s due. I have neglected to put away my piles of laundry for the past three months so that now half my bedroom floor is consumed with folded clothes. I wait until the last second in the morning to get up and get ready while giving myself the exact amount of time needed to get to school on time; no more, no less. The latter has gotten me into more predicaments than I am willing to admit, but the biggest issue procrastination has caused me happened earlier this week.

I was already running a tad late Tuesday because, for some reason, I felt the need to drag my feet more than usual that morning. Almost slipping on the newly formed ice, I hurriedly hopped into my car and slammed the door in a rush to get out of my driveway. Halfway through my neighborhood I saw the dreaded light that indicated how my morning was going to go: the gas light had turned on.

I knew that I was low on gas before that morning. The gas light had been on for three days. But, like everything else, I made the assertion that I was going to wait until I absolutely needed to fill up my tank.

After I waited a solid 5 minutes to turn left onto Cascade Road, I was finally mixed in with the other young drivers scrambling to get to school before 7:40.  I can make it to school and back, I thought. It’s only a few miles and my tank isn’t even that empty.

Yet, despite my optimism, about halfway to school it happened. I looked at my speedometer as it descended from 60 to 55 to 50 to 40, all while my foot was smashing the gas pedal to the floor. I was thoroughly confused at first as to why I was slowing down, until my groggy morning brain had a moment of clarity. I had officially run out of gas.

The following hour included lots of tears, lots of phone calls, and lots of thinking. Because AAA couldn’t guarantee a tow truck for at least 45 minutes, I was in my sad lifeless car to contemplate my life decisions that led me to this point.

As cheesy as it sounds, my time spent with myself that morning caused me to change my lifestyle and my way of thinking. So far this week I have completed all my homework before 12 AM, sometimes even using extra class time to work ahead. I have tackled Mt. Laundry in my room so that you can (mostly) see the floor. I set my alarm earlier so that I no longer am rushing to get out the door and to avoid car related disasters. While the circumstances in which this 180 occurred are not ideal, I can say tentatively that I’m glad. Who knew that my Tuesday morning fuel crisis could lead to a lesson in procrastination.