It can happens with tasks at work. You know, those things that keep getting pushing back on the to- do-list until when you actually get to them; they have somehow turned into this looming project?Until, of course, you just actually do them, cross them off the list and move on.
It can happen with relationships. We "should" get together. We "ought to" catch up sometime. The unreturned text/email or voicemail starts to look like a potential moment of discomfort so the relationship feels bruised ... until you call/text/email or set up the date and get reacquainted.
I had a situation recently where some dynamics changed with a commitment I had, so initially there was distance naturally created. When it became time to return to the previous schedule; details became slightly more complicated. Holidays, vacations, and some miscommunication then turned into a lapse of months rather than the original weeks... and picking up the phone to get things back on track became scary for me. Today, I finally pulled off the bandaid and made a final phone call to find a gracious and enthusiastic response waiting on the other side of the phone. Schedule resumed.
Why do I do this (and I'm sure I'm not alone)? We insert dread where it is not needed and cause ourselves unneeded stress and even physical discomfort and loss of sleep.
Actually, I think I've been doing this with one of my favorite hobbies, too. Time to dust off those dancing shoes. Literally. It's swing dancing. :)
Ideally, we would never lose touch, drop the ball or neglect a responsibility or even passion. However, being human, that's highly unlikely. So when those things fall through the cracks; I hope to swallow my pride, pick up the phone, or pen... or shoes... and go from there. Yes, there will be times where it's uncomfortable and there will certainly be amends to be made, but I think more often than not I'll find that I have made a mountain out of a mole hill and wasted precious time over nothing.
