When it gets to the point where you consider being five minutes late an accomplishment, you know you have a problem. If you're anything like me, you know what a struggle it can be to get anywhere on time. It seems like I'm always making the personal vow, "I will arrive on time today," almost as often as I'm saying, "Sorry I'm late!" Here is a look into my average day as someone who is always late.
Everyday, I tell myself I'll actually get up with enough time to get ready. But alas, my bed is far too comfortable, and sleep is far too enticing. I set my alarm at least a half hour before I really need to wake up, because we all know I'm not getting up on the first ring. With every hit of the snooze button, I calculate how much time I have left before the latest possible minute, leaving me just enough time to not look like a mess.
As a child, I almost never new the real time we had to leave the house, because my parents would tell me we had to leave 15 minutes before we actually did. To their credit, this was probably a pretty smart idea, but it still never actually helped get me in the car on time.
So as I look at my clock, I realize that I far underestimated the amount of time I needed, and I definitely didn't plan for screwing up my eyeliner. Why, again, did I decide to be ambitious and go for the winged eyeliner look today? Anyway, I have five minutes to pull it together and leave the house. This is where I make the all-to-common "Hey, I'm running a little late" text, as I finish getting ready when I should already be on the road.
Putting on winged eyeliner in the AM = disaster // via buzzfeed
I can't even remember the last time I was driving somewhere and didn't feel rushed. I pray for no cops as I race around slowpokes in my little blue Taurus. It's now seven minutes after I was supposed to meet my friend. At a stoplight, I send her, "Almost there!" when I'm still a good five minutes out.
Unfortunately, my friends and family know me well enough not to expect me to arrive on time. I once had a friend confess that she had waited for me to send her the text message of when I was actually leaving the house before she left hers, knowing I wouldn't really arrive at the designated time. The sad thing is, she still ended up having to wait for me that day. Thankfully, she's a very forgiving person.
On the plus side, I've become an exceptional speed walker! If you ever see me practically running across campus in the morning, it's because I'm running late to class. Always. Somehow, I still manage to make it into my seat just as the minute hand strikes 12. I may be a bit flustered and out of breath, but by golly, I made it!
It's not that I don't know that being late is lazy and, above all, rude to others. I feel terrible when people have to wait on me. I'm reminded of what I heard constantly in theater as a child: "If you're five minutes early, you're on time; if you're on time, you're late; and if you're late, you might as well not show up." It's a terrible habit I have, but for some reason, I really can't seem to change my ways. If you're also notoriously late, you know what I'm talking about. The struggle is real. So real.
Maybe one of these days I'll grow up, get out of bed to my alarm on the first ring, leave the house in a timely manner, and get to my destination on time. Maybe even, dare I say, early?! One can dream...
For now, I'll continue to bust my butt to arrive in a semi-respectable amount of time, prepared with a smile and a hearty "Sorry I'm late!"
