Timing Is Everything

Being brought up in a tough comprehensive school in Leeds, its inevitable that one has a tough, hard man reputation. After publishing my wedding day vows last time out, I feel the need to recover some of my man pride...hence this random blog full of masculinity.

Over the years, I've come to learn that timing is everything. Hard work, intelligence and common sense certainly help, but timing is often just as key. My career path has been one example of this where things have just seemed to have fallen in place at the right time and the right place. The timing of my movements has worked well for me and among the networking, lengthy hours, risks and decisions, there has unquestionably been some fortunate timing to coincide. Had I not decided to study for a sports masters degree, I would never met HJ.

I was reminded of my impeccable timing a week after our wedding as we walked down the street alone in Prince Edward Island. As I occasionally do, I grabbed HJ's butt.....and if anybody recalls the size of my hands, it constitutes a heck of a grab. Behind us, about ten metres back, a local lady with her Starbucks coffee in hand shouts over 'Nice Grope Buddy' at the top of her voice. Lesson learned and timing impeccable as always.

It got me thinking of plenty of other embarrassing and uncomfortable situations that I have gotten myself in over the years. Ikea is not what I would call my greatest preference for a Saturday morning. Anybody who is fortunate to have avoided it in their lives thus far, will not know that they have this clever layout whereby you have to walk through and see the entire store even if you want to get one thing. That means everybody is walking and pushing trolleys in more or less the same direction.....not ideal if you have bad wind one day and are unable to wander away to a quiet area and let one go. All you can do is make your excuses and try and get to the scented candle section as quickly as possible. This may or may not have happened to me, just saying.

That takes me back to an old classic when I was in middle school...around 14 years old. I liked to try to be a cool kid, make classmates laugh and if I did get in trouble, charm the teachers my way. It usually worked for me. I also liked playing football and would be found kicking a ball every break and lunchtime. One lunch in particular, there was no football so I found myself particularly bored. After lunch, I was out with a group of friends kicking stones around and I launched one across the playground. With my impeccable timing, one of our teachers stepped out into the playground, as my stone skipped off the surface and drilled her in the side of her head. I had some sweet talking to do after that.

I would never suggest sitting around waiting for things to happen....they inevitably don't when you do. But it is funny how things turn out when you least expect them. Caught up in your own world, until it affects or involves somebody else whether you are walking down the street, shopping in Ikea or playing in the playground. Timing is everything.