We all have that one friend that says they’re “five minutes away,” when they haven’t even left their bed yet. I can’t even count how many times I’ve gotten a text saying “I’m almost there!!!!!” and I'm left waiting for a half hour for someone. Everyone is late once in a while for a dinner or a night out, and that’s okay. Being late is fine, but continuously being late is not fine.
For my entire life, my family has been extremely punctual. We are not early for events, but we are usually on time. My Dad and Mom were like that, so the quality was passed on to their child (me). If dinner’s at 7:15, the Prushan family will be walking through the door at 7:14 so that we are ready to sit and dine by 7:15.
Now, I’m not saying being punctual is always a good thing. Sometimes, it’s good to be “fashionably late” for a party. Having an “on-time personality” has given me some serious anxiety when I'm running late. I leave ample time for me to get to my classes in college, and most days I end up sitting outside of the lecture halls ten minutes before my class even starts.
My theory about people who are consistently late is: they would rather waste MY time, than waste their own time. If someone is 20 minutes tardy to a meeting, in my opinion that person would rather have me wait there for him or her as opposed to taking a few extra minutes to prepare themselves to be punctual. I have also noticed that when it comes to important job interviews, late people always seem to be on time. I don’t understand why a person has to prioritize their timing for different event. If a person is always punctual, it shows a level of respect for the other party involved. You do not want to waste their time, and that is a kind gesture. I understand that life happens and people are late sometimes, but as a habit, it can sometimes show a lot about a person.
I’m not trying to go on a complete rampage against late people and say that they are the worst people to step on planet Earth. Because they aren’t. There are many other poor qualities in an individual that are much worse than constantly being late. For example, my college roommate--who happens to be my best friend--is constantly late. But, having a late friend has allowed me to actually develop more patience and to understand that not everyone is on my well-mapped-out time schedule everyday. My punctuality sometimes gets the best of me and I end up eternally waiting for other people, which drives me absolutely crazy.
