Friendships
Always 15 Minutes Late: What to do About Chronically Tardy Friends
One of the things that absolutely kills me is when a friend is chronically late. They will say “Oh, I’m just a few minutes late!” when they are always 15 minutes late or more. I’m not talking about the person who is rarely late and when they are they have called to let you know what’s happening. And, I’m not talking about the person whose watch is just a minute or two slow. I’m talking about that person we ALL know who runs on their own time. We’ve all excused them on more than one occasion – usually with “Oh that’s just —–“ or “—– is always late so I just tell them a different time to arrive.”
It is never OK to be late just because you can’t manage your time properly. It’s just plain rude! What I have never understood is why someone would think that his or her time is so much more important than mine. It’s one of the “absolutes” that I drilled into my kids from the time they were little – 5 minutes late is NOT on time and never will be. 5 minutes early is on time. That way no one is waiting for your grand arrival because really, what’s so grand about your arrival?
If you’re that person (and if you are you know it) who just can’t seem to get someplace on time, simply start whatever you need to do before you leave 30 minutes earlier than you normally would. Just do it. Whoever you are meeting will so appreciate your effort.