our precious time

You know what the expectations are when it comes to being on time with your boss and client meetings, ...  but why can't people seem to follow through when it comes to social commitments, to friend commitments.  Why are we all so flaky?  And what about your so-called loved one (aka boyfriend/girlfriend/lover/wife/husband/kid...) - shouldn't you treat them least like you would your number one client or boss?  Yea, most people don't - and I think that sucks.  What about people being on Seattle time, West Coast Time, Chinese Time, Asian Time, Korean Time, European Time, Russian time...  I've been here on the west coast for almost a decade now - and I have to admit, I find myself wanting to RSVP as "maybe", or not at all so I can decide later.  You want to have your cake and eat it too.  You want to keep your options for the something better that might come along.  How very west coast - why are we so commitment shy around here?  You throw a party and 35 people RSVP'ed, then 15 of those people that RSVP'ed show up, in addition to the 30 others who didn't RSVP.  How can anyone plan anything like this? 

I usually make it a point to most definitely make my commitments on time - 4PM meeting, no problem, I'm there.  8PM meeting, 759PM, I'm there.  People arrive late and then they are surprised I'm on time.  (I find this kind of funny)  They arrived late to account for the time I might be late.  How in the world can you do anything like this?  That's how business is run around here?  Say what?  What gets me is that when I'm on time, and I end up waiting another 20 minutes for the rest of the people to show up.  You didn't know how to get there - ever hear of getting a Garmin - maybe map it before you get in the car?  Plan freaking ahead.  Parking took you 15 minutes - or did you just start driving over 15 minutes ago?  I've stopped waiting for people one by one - and my tolerance is going down year by year.  Maybe that makes me a bitch. I've been at fault of just being tired of being the one waiting - I've started being tardy here and there.  I hate waiting.  I hate making others wait.  There's no winning apparently.  It's driving me insane!!!  I showed up early to meet the CEO of a local business recently - he came highly recommended to me from a mutual friend.  The guy was 45 minutes late and unapologetic - who the hell do you think you are?  Is 45 minutes of your life more valuable than mine?  Have you no manners?  Etiquette?  No, I think not - your credibility just dropped 50% before you even opened your sad pompous mouth which is saying nothing of interest to me now. 

Where did this pet peeve of mine grow from?  My birth father left us when I was very young, about five and a half years old.  My little brother was a new born.  Until our father left, I was Daddy's little girl - every day we couldn't wait for our dad to come home from work wearing his leather jacket in his Cadillac (this was the mid 80s).  When he left, it was so sudden.  I came home from my day in kindergarten, and I remember seeing my mother's heavy face coming out of their bedroom with a very somber and tired face.  She really didn't have to say anything - I knew our life would never be the same again, but she did.  "Your daddy's gone."  Being so young - it didn't really hit me for a few years.  I'd continue to run home from school every day hoping he'd be there waiting for me.  He was there waiting only once - for that one random day when I was about 8-9, then disappeared again.  You can imagine how this would mess up a hopeful young girl's sense of hope.  Yea, screwy.  Yea, tragic.  So what?  I don't wallow in self pity - so don't feel sorry for me.  C'est la vie.

So, I'm a little intense when it comes to the realm of time.  My time, my life, my minute is valuable to me - I respectfully value your time, your life, your minute, too.  Don't ask me to put in face time for the same of being a warm body at a desk at work.  I'm not interested.  Set expectations appropriately - it's okay to reset them too.  I get it, shit happens - life happens.  Let me know ahead of time if you're running late so I'm not waiting for you.  I'll do the same for you.  Let's be courteous, kind,and respectful to each other.