what time is it???

I just don’t understand why people can be late. Once… Twice… I am fine with it. Five… ten minutes.. I am fine with it too. But if you are late every time and late for more than 15 minutes, that is just totally unacceptable!

I am anal about punctuality. There was a time when I used to be late when meeting my friends. Not just 10 minutes but 45 minutes or an hour. Then, my best friend, Sal told me off – “You know what you are? You are a habitual late comer!!” she said. I admit that I was hurt when she said that to my face. Then, I realized that she was making a point. Since that day, I realized that it is not very nice to keep people waiting and make every effort to be on time or early for that matter. It is just plain rude to keep other people waiting for you. Have you no respect towards other people’s time? Time is money but money can’t buy time (or love for that matter… I just have to throw that one in). If your friends can make an effort to arrive on time, why can’t you? If you can make an effort to arrive to work, an interview, class at the gym, massage appointment and other official engagements early or on time, why can’t you do the same with your appointment with your friends? Think about it if you keep someone waiting for 30 minutes. That is 30 minutes of her day that has been wasted waiting for you, which she could have used doing something productive.

I guess some people just can’t be punctual. Perhaps they are one of those habitual latecomers. Perhaps they like to be fashionably late. Perhaps they are one of those who do not like to be controlled, so showing up late is a way of showing, sub-consciously, that they do not like to be controlled. Perhaps they just don’t have a sense of timing or just underestimating time.

However, I feel that this is something can an individual can make an effort to change. It is just a matter of whether that individual wants to it or not. It is all about managing your time, your tasks and prioritize it. Provide some allowance for traveling time, in case you missed your bus or get caught in a traffic jam. I have a friend who has been one of those habitual latecomers and she has changed now – significant improvement. I changed too. So in other words, all of us can make an effort. Being early or on time also shows that you are responsible and reliable. Now, that’s a character!