Transition Anxiety

The Art of the Dismount continued...

I need to repeat: Wrapping up an event and getting comfortable closure requires about 50 percent of the time and energy you'll put into any given project, from a chat to a championship. Just as judges are impressed by a double-twisting forward layout finale, people will remember your performance fondly if the dismount has lots of energy.

Emma and the rest of us can start improving our lives simply by recognizing that we were born with looser internal clocks, which is a little like being left-handed in a world of right-handed can openers -- not a huge disability but one that requires a little forethought, many Post-its, and, for key appointments, a marker that shows up well on skin. This acceptance allows us to begin dealing effectively with life in our local chrono-cracy. We can design, rehearse, and enlist help to master the art of the dismount. Then we can add our polychronic charm to the manic madness of modern society, without missing any crucial appointments. Which reminds me, I have to scoot, or I'll be late for a meeting.

That wasn't so hard, was it?

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From O, The Oprah Magazine, August 2007, © 2007 Harpo Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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