The Unbridled Relief of Cancelled Plans

I tested as an ENFJ on the Meyers-Briggs* scale, so technically I am an extrovert. Technically and literally, because in more ways than not, I have extroverted tendencies. Except in one very special and hallowed area of life: Cancelled plans.

I have a rule. I never, ever cancel plans unless (a) I'm sick or (b) I have actual paid work to do on deadline. I never cancel on someone if I get a 'better' offer, because how shitty is that? I never cancel because I'm 'not in the mood', because I know that if I make myself go I'll feel good about it eventually, and if I don't go, I'll have the serious guilts and won't enjoy the free time anyway.

HOWEVER.

If someone I have plans with has to cancel on me, last minute? More often than not, it is a MASSIVE relief. That mightn't be a nice thing to admit to - am I a monster? - but it's true.

There are exceptions to this, granted. Like if I haven't seen my best pal for a while and she cancels, I am disappointed because I genuinely miss her. But that passes after a while and then I get to enjoy the gift the universe has bestowed upon me:

THE GIFT OF TIME.

It's like in Friends, when Emily is making Ross move out of the city and he's trying to see the positives, and claims his new hour-long commute is actually a good thing because he's been given time to do things. Okay, we all know that Emily was a psycho for demanding that and that Ross was a dope for ever accepting the plan, but we get what he was saying.

It's like a long-haul flight. If you're okay to put up with a certain amount of restriction in terms of comfort, it can be nice to have time to yourself, distraction free, where you literally cannot be disturbed or made go anywhere or take calls.

For someone like me, for whom filling ones diary is akin to an Olympic sport, cancelled plans mean possibilities. Read a book! Have a bath! Do a face mask! Manicure your nails! Go to the gym! Cook an unusually laborious meal! It's like being handed the freedom of your own personal city by the mayor.

So, if anyone wants to cancel on me in future, know this. I won't mind, AND I won't retaliate because as much as I love being cancelled on, it's not something I have the power to do myself.

*A test really worth taking if you're in any way interested in personality types. It's virtually impossible to 'fool' the test by answering in a certain way.