On Sundays when I was growing up,
our family went to my grandmother’s house for dinner.
She lived half a mile away, and we were always half an
hour late.
It didn’t matter what time the
meal was served. If we were to be there
at noon, we’d roll in at 12:30. A five
o’clock meal was pushed to 5:30.
A couple of us would get in the
car around the prescribed time, usually some time after. We’d honk the horn to speed up the guilty party
still tying shoes or finding a sweater or pulling on a coat. Sometimes my dad would be missing – working
in the yard or tinkering in the garage – and my mom would get annoyed and
we’d leave without him.
One of us was always lagging
further behind the others.
This pattern has continued in my adult
life. My own family is not always on
time. It usually depends on where we’re
going and how motivated we are to get there rather than something or someone interfering
in the on-time plan. We all agree when to leave, but it’s regarded as a
guideline. This fluidity can be frustrating,
and one person is usually steaming by the time we are on our way.
I have a running joke with a
friend that I am always five minutes late.
I underestimate the drive time, I have a hard time leaving the house,
someone always calls when I’m running out the door.
Whatever the delay, I’m five
minutes late every time. My friends
accept it; in fact, most of the people in my circle are typically minutes
(hours!!) late themselves, and they don’t care about my chronic tardiness…
much.
I’m in awe of people who don’t
claim lateness, who show up ten minutes early, who manage punctuality. Are they gifted at knowing how long it takes
to get somewhere? Do they research
routes, traffic conditions, keep a close eye on the amount of gas in their tanks? Do they try on outfits the night before so
there are no surprises with ill-fitting clothing, a stain on a sleeve, choosing
the wrong shoes? Do they leave dishes in
the sink and a mess on the floor if they’re running behind? Do they skip teeth brushing if they’ve
overslept? Do they just let the phone ring
if it starts after they’ve just stepped outside the door? Do they leave in the middle of a writing
tear, able to pick up the flow of ideas when they get home?
My admiration runs deep; they are
more disciplined than I am. Their lives
are easier – they don’t rush, they don’t play catch up, they never miss
anything, and their friends are never annoyed with them.
I’m better at being on time when
it comes to our children. Our daughter has some anxiety about being
late for class or practice or parties, so I try to keep her on time to alleviate
her angst. It's extremely difficult for me. I like to think she is
inherently respectful of time, but more likely she learned how to be punctual
because she learned that being late is stressful. Our son has no such qualms about lateness,
but he is a teenager.
Why are we late? Some people cite disrespect and insensitivity
of other people’s time. Others claim
cultural differences – people from different parts of the world are less
punctual than others. Poor time
management, a laid-back attitude, being unfamiliar with surroundings – these
are all good excuses. Ones that I have
used.
I think I’m unruffled by lateness
because most things in my life are not time-sensitive. No danger results from my being perpetually five
minutes behind. I’m a mom, not an air
traffic controller. What’s more, I can
choose where lateness is acceptable and I exercise my choices freely. I can be late to a friend’s barbeque because
I had to pick up a bag of ice; I shouldn’t be late picking my kid up from
basketball practice at 9 pm because of safety issues. I have no
time card to punch and I don’t get paid by the hour. There are no coworkers to report me for shaving
fifteen minutes off my work day each morning.
I’m grateful for that.
Oh, no – I’ve got to end this
here. I just remembered that I have to
be somewhere in five minutes.
*******
This post inspired by:
Mama Kat's Writing Workshop
Mama Kat's Writing Workshop
I'm one who is seldom late as I value punctuality. Most of the time I do check out the weather/ traffic condition and plan my route so that I arrive on time.
ReplyDeleteI envy you. My husband is a traffic-checker. He always wants me to check the traffic if we go somewhere together. I can't be bothered to do it on my own.
Delete"Do they research routes, traffic conditions, keep a close eye on the amount of gas in their tanks? Do they try on outfits the night before so there are no surprises with ill-fitting clothing, a stain on a sleeve, choosing the wrong shoes? Do they leave dishes in the sink and a mess on the floor if they’re running behind? Do they skip teeth brushing if they’ve overslept? Do they just let the phone ring if it starts after they’ve just stepped outside the door? Do they leave in the middle of a writing tear, able to pick up the flow of ideas when they get home? "
ReplyDeleteUm, yes. Dishes don't matter, the phone can wait, but keeping me waiting at an event, all alone while someone is doing their household chores is... rude. We have one friend who is perpetually late and, though we keep that friend, there is less trust felt for him and less of a desire to agree to do activities together.
But dishes do matter!! Because if they sit in the sink all the time, it takes you extra time to clean them up when you finally get to them. I'd rather be five minutes late than take twenty minutes later scrubbing crusty food off my dinner plates.
DeleteI know what you're saying, though. I don't like to wait around, either, but it rarely puts my nose out of joint. Being late has taught me to be patient with those who are also late.
I'm also one of those always early people. Never late. For me it was the Army and y Father that installed in me to always be fifteen minutes early. No matter what. My family knows that when I saw we are leaving at a certain time that mean to be in the truck ready to leave 5 to 10 minutes prior then the time I say we are to leave.
ReplyDeleteSo ya I'm one of those people. :)
You're in the majority, I think. :) I have tried that tactic - be in the car five minutes ahead of time - but it rarely works. I get grief when we try it and we're way too early.
DeleteI used to be earlier for everything...until I had children.
ReplyDeleteTrue story. ;)
They are good for making us run late - mine are, still. I think anytime there is more than one person leaving at the same time, it's inevitable.
DeleteWhen I was a girl I shared the angst your daughter is currently experiencing. Our family were always late. But, by the time I was a teen I was over it. And now I'm chronically late to stuff. I feel like its in the genes.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think that on-time people experience more angst than late people.
DeleteHa ha ha ha ha - that is awesome. I have a friend who is always late - like hours, not five minutes. I don't mind. My dad is ALWAYS early. I am more like you - not always in a rush, it depends.
ReplyDeleteThank you! If the hours-late people don't mind, why should I? I can always start whatever I'm doing without them. I tend not to stress about lateness. There are better feelings to feel. :)
DeleteMy family members and I are all over this spectrum and I can tell you for sure, the difference between those of us who are on time versus late is that the late people are always trying to squeeze in additional activities before they leave. I have a fear of missing out so I will leave all dishes in the sink and scurry off to be the first one at a family dinner. I also don't like being the person who "makes an entrance" by being so late. So, I'll err on the side of being early!
ReplyDeleteThose are wonderful observations! It's true, I'm always trying to do one or more last things before we leave. And fear of missing out? What's that? ;)
DeleteI'm a punctual/early kind of girl, but my life isn't easier, because I am perpetually waiting for other people, hah!
ReplyDelete