You might want to feel that your time and efforts are just as important as the next person. But that is not how we always perceive the time of others. It seems to me however that our general appointments actually fall into two different categories: One that actually means a specific time and/or date and two, one that means “about” such and such of time on a certain date.
What do I mean by this statement? Let’s take a moment and consider some situations that would fall into the first one.
If you purchase a train, bus, or plane ticket, you know that the departure time stated on your ticket IS your time of departure. Just image if people decided my plane is leaving at 12 noon, but I can show up about 12:10 or 12:20 and it will be fine! I don’t think so. That plane will be GONE! My wife and I were traveling on one of our trips to Hawaii several years ago. Our flight out of Dallas was DELAYED TWO HOURS because of a computer glitch. The flight staff at the counter informed us and the other dozen or so people who had a connection in Los Angeles that LA was holding our connection and that it would be there when we arrived. After we got to Los Angeles our connecting flight had left on schedule TWO hours earlier and we had a L-O-N-G delay in Los Angeles! Why does that not surprise me? You probably have your own stories about such times when you had a specific appointment and the timing was very crucial!
Now let’s look at the other situation: Where people feel that an appointment means “about” a certain time. When was the last time you invited four or five couples to your home for a diner. You gave an invitation (either written or oral) and specified that the time was 6:00 PM. How many of your guests showed up at six? There were probably some who were still strolling in around six thirty! Why do people feel that such appointments do not really mean the time that is stated? Why do some want to make that “fashionably late” entrance? I don’t know, but it can be very irritating at times.
Another situation that falls within the scope of this type of appointment is those made by those in the medical profession. When was the last time that you had a 2:00 PM doctor’s appointment and actually got in to see the doctor at two? They even stretch out your appointment time by taking you into an “exam” room where you sit quietly (and hopefully patiently) until the doctor finally comes in to see how you are! You also want to notice at times that there is NO clock within these rooms so you have no concept of how long they are really taking!
Some even take their “appointment” for their job work as an “about” time. You probably have those who work with you from 8 to 5, but they don’t usually show up in the morning until about 8:10 or 8:15, or they take that HOUR lunch and return five, ten, (or more) minutes late! Speaking about that: It is now 12 noon and I’m breaking for lunch before I finish this blog - - - I have just returned: It is 1: 10!!!!!
We seem at times to take the setting of appointed times as a casual thing to work around. That is why we take a casual view of other aspects of our lives as well. But, then we’re only human!
QUOTE TO CONSIDER
THOUGHTFUL GEM
"You might as well steal my money
as steal my time."
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