To Be Five Minutes Early Is To Be On Time
I am sure this is a surprise to no one, but I am obsessed with punctuality. It's my biggest pet peeve. I don't know where I developed this obsession, but I have to be on time for everything. When I am making the 45-mile drive to New Haven, I'll often give DrT a 5-10 minute window of when I will arrive, and then call if I am going to miss that window, even though being a few minutes late is no big deal.
It also translates to my expectation of others. I have friends who are chronically late to everything. I know they are like that, yet I still cannot adjust. I occasionally carpool with a friend of mine who lives in my apartment complex (and may also read this site...I'm not sure). She is one of those chronically late people, yet I am unable to adjust my ways when we carpool. I know she is always at least ten minutes late in the morning, yet I will tell her when I plan to pick her up, call her when I am leaving my apartment, and always show up when I promise. I should probably just intentionally show up five minutes later than I say I will, but I feel compelled to show up on time and just sit in my car for a while outside her apartment.
The other day, I mooched a ride to work from her since DrT was picking me up after work for our evening plans. The plan was to leave at 7:30. At 7:25, I received a text from my ride informing me that she was running late and picking me up at 7:40. No big deal. I needed the extra time anyway. I went outside to wait for her at 7:40 even though I suspected that the +10 minute rule meant I should be ready at 7:50. I waited outside in the cold until 7:55.
I understand that some people are chronically late. Why does it always frustrate me? Why can't people show up when they say they will? I think there could be worse obsessions in life, but this one still usually annoys me.
Does anyone else have a major pet peeve as silly as this?
UPDATE - Please note that my intent was not to trash a friend of mine. I was pointing out my own obsession with punctuality. I just picked the recent carpool example because it was fresh on my mind. I could have picked another story from another person. I have many friends who are not always punctual, but they are still my friends. It's not a trait that someone must possess to be my friend.
It also translates to my expectation of others. I have friends who are chronically late to everything. I know they are like that, yet I still cannot adjust. I occasionally carpool with a friend of mine who lives in my apartment complex (and may also read this site...I'm not sure). She is one of those chronically late people, yet I am unable to adjust my ways when we carpool. I know she is always at least ten minutes late in the morning, yet I will tell her when I plan to pick her up, call her when I am leaving my apartment, and always show up when I promise. I should probably just intentionally show up five minutes later than I say I will, but I feel compelled to show up on time and just sit in my car for a while outside her apartment.
The other day, I mooched a ride to work from her since DrT was picking me up after work for our evening plans. The plan was to leave at 7:30. At 7:25, I received a text from my ride informing me that she was running late and picking me up at 7:40. No big deal. I needed the extra time anyway. I went outside to wait for her at 7:40 even though I suspected that the +10 minute rule meant I should be ready at 7:50. I waited outside in the cold until 7:55.
I understand that some people are chronically late. Why does it always frustrate me? Why can't people show up when they say they will? I think there could be worse obsessions in life, but this one still usually annoys me.
Does anyone else have a major pet peeve as silly as this?
UPDATE - Please note that my intent was not to trash a friend of mine. I was pointing out my own obsession with punctuality. I just picked the recent carpool example because it was fresh on my mind. I could have picked another story from another person. I have many friends who are not always punctual, but they are still my friends. It's not a trait that someone must possess to be my friend.
posted by GaryGinew at 8:39 PM
1 Comments:
when hari would come up to visit from ohio, he would sometimes be HOURS late, and this frustrated me immensely. someone once told me that others being chronically late shows that they feel their time is more important than yours.
that said, I am pretty much a wash as I am either 10 minutes early to work, or 10 minutes late. I blame it on the stupid busses here, as they never come on time.
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