Meeting a deadline

Meeting a deadline is a thrill. It’s like savouring the last piece of a jigsaw puzzle falling into place. There’s the surge of relief that washes over, liberating one from the weight of impending stress. The anxiety that gnawed away before embarking on the journey to the destination, continuing as you made your way ‘up’ to your destination, suddenly gives way to a heady rush.

A deadline reached is a scale peaked, a lander probe landed, which cultivates a profound sense of achievement. It serves as a testament to discipline, time management and dedication. Not to mention ability. It fuels confidence.

‘I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by,’ the late Douglas Adams, writer of the iconic The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, had said tongue 3/8th in cheek. Deadlines about to be met actually make gentle, flapping noises, the way gulls do after finding a spot on the land to rest, after hours of flying and gliding over the sea.

A deadline met signals a well-deserved rest. This respite is special because till the nerve-wracking ends, it looked out of bounds, too distant, even impossible. Now, with the deed done, respite has been earned. And how.