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!
