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Saturday, June 3, 2017

"Mind 2"

Okay, it isn't May anymore, but Illustrationfriday.com didn't give me a word for the week either, so I'll play by my own rules this week.  Besides, the May apples in my yard aren't ripe, which begs the question why they're called "May" apples in the first place.

For those of you who don't know May apples, they grow in the woods and the deer love them.  If you are able to show up at the exact moment when they're ripe, and before the deer get them, May apples actually taste pretty good.  They're kind of non-remarkable, or even a bit bitter if you try eating them before the magic moment of ripeness.

Since the last word for the week IF provided was "Mind", I'll share piece of mine about tardiness.  If you're one of those people who are late all the time, I'm talking to you.  I don't want to confuse the perpetually tardy with someone who got stuck in traffic or took an important phone call.  Everybody experiences something which might make them a bit late once in a while.  Responsible people call and say they're running late.  Or, if they're the ones in traffic, they might not call because they're being responsible drivers and don't want to add to traffic incidents.  It's you other people, the ones who don't care if I'm stranded at a restaurant alone for half an hour or more because you had to fuss your hair a bit longer, or whateverthehellyou'redoing when you're supposed to be HERE, you people make my blood erupt through the top of my head.

When you show up, I might ask if you're okay, pre-supposing you might've encountered a legitimate delay.  I might even say "It's okay" to your insincere apology, but let it be known, it isn't okay.  I'm just trying to salvage whatever's left of the get together or meeting that you have already messed up.

I had a memorable fight with a long-time friend (A) after she was late for an appointment I set up for her with another friend (B).  Friend A was out of work (perpetual tardiness being a factor in her firing), and she was very stressed.  B is a counselor, and I asked him to see A free of charge as a favor to me.  A showed up at my house half an hour after the appointment time, then drove like a lunatic to B's office, making us only 45 minutes late.  I don't often yell, but I yelled that day.  I pointed out an unemployed person had no reasonable grounds to be late for a 10:00 appointment.

A thought I was unreasonable and mean.  After all, the reason for the appointment was her stress.  Pity party for A.  I pointed out she had given both B and me a great deal of stress.  No, it's more important to remember that A was stressed.  Pity, pity party for A.

It took me a long time to come to the realization that prompt people are considerate and overall better friends, lovers, and business associates than the perpetually tardy.  They care about sharing time together, take turns at listening, and care about other's feelings.  I love these people.

Life is short.  I'm not going to waste my life waiting for someone who doesn't care about my time or feelings.  Let's celebrate the punctual!

6 comments:

  1. I absolutely agree! I know people as you know that think being late is : OK, fun, cool, dramatic entry ( now that everyone else is here!) and even impolite to be on time! Yikes, we live in upside down world. Thanks for the story and the beautiful illustration. G

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    1. I can think of at least one person we both know with those values. All I can say is I'm not waiting around for people like this!

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  2. You are a girl after my own heart Linda. I totally agree with everything you say. I find perpetual lateness from someone rude. I too have an old friend, whom I must admit I see little of these days because she often cancels last minute (but that's another story), who will be late for her own funeral. I must admit that even though we go back some time I am wondering if our friendship is really worth the bother? Life indeed is short and I want to share it with those who care about my time too. xxx

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    1. I have to wonder if these kinds of people ever stop to notice that they don't have as many friends as they used to have because others have given up on waiting? Thankfully for the rest of us, there are others who care about showing up on time.

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  3. Amen, sister! Perpetual lateness is just plain rude. Not being punctual was a one of the few "no tolerance" rules when I was growing up. I wish more people felt that way.

    Now Illustration Friday is late. They'd better have a good excuse! Glad you still participated with this illustration :)

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  4. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who sees this my way! IF has been late or absent before. I bet we don't even get an apology, but my irritation did spark a post about it anyway :)

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