My family plays a game wherein a word will spark one of us to sing a quick clip of a song containing that word and the rest scramble to sing other songs that contain that word or phrase. Some words and phrases are easier than others. 'Love'? Forget about it - you'll never get 'em all and it isn't even a challenge. 'Rain' and 'Money' are easy words to play. Another easy word? 'Time'.
We could start with my title and easily get to: time is on my side, time for you to stop all of your cryin', if I could put time in a bottle, what time is it? (4:30), time after time... you get the idea. (and if you want to keep it going, far be it for me to stop you...)
Concerning time, there seem to be two schools of thought. There are those who think their time is more important than everyone else's and there are those who think everyone else's time is more important than their own. I fall pretty firmly into the second camp. This manifests in my full blown need to be prompt. If I tell you I will be somewhere at a certain time, it is very likely that I will be there fifteen minutes earlier. I have been known to sit in my car waiting to go in somewhere because I don't wish to appear too eager. I have very successfully instilled this value in my children - so much so that they don't refer to being prompt as being prompt - they refer to it instead as 'being Howardly'. This isn't to say I've never been late for anything ever. Of course I have. Things happen. But I feel genuinely bad about it. I hate the thought that I might be keeping someone waiting - that I might be wasting their time.
I'll make no apologies for that - I think it's a good way to be. It's respectful.
That being said, just because I put a high value on the time of others doesn't mean that I put a low value on my own time. I used to. I used to not mind waiting because I figured anything anyone else was doing was more important than anything I might have wanted to do. Not so anymore. I find myself becoming more and more impatient with people who do not value my time. While being prompt is respectful, taking your own sweet time while someone is waiting for you is rude. I'll wait my turn, certainly. I don't allow myself to become frustrated by long lines. But waiting for a scheduled appointment? That frustrates me much more quickly. It's one thing for me to think someone else's time is important and to respect that by being prompt. It is quite another for them to (essentially) come right out and say that their time is more important than mine.
Time never flies in the waiting room.
A stitch in time saves nine, time waits for no man, everything in it's own time... it seems that lyrics aren't the only place that themes of time are prevalent. Why are we so caught up in time? Is it because we all only have a finite amount of it?
Whoa. I hadn't meant to swim into the deep end. I really just wanted an excuse to use an Anthrax lyric as a post title. That song has been a recurring earworm since the first time I heard it. I hope the time I took to write this post won't push me to be late. I hate to be late (for a very important date, it's late it's late it's late but not too late, it's too late baby now it's too late...)
We could start with my title and easily get to: time is on my side, time for you to stop all of your cryin', if I could put time in a bottle, what time is it? (4:30), time after time... you get the idea. (and if you want to keep it going, far be it for me to stop you...)
Concerning time, there seem to be two schools of thought. There are those who think their time is more important than everyone else's and there are those who think everyone else's time is more important than their own. I fall pretty firmly into the second camp. This manifests in my full blown need to be prompt. If I tell you I will be somewhere at a certain time, it is very likely that I will be there fifteen minutes earlier. I have been known to sit in my car waiting to go in somewhere because I don't wish to appear too eager. I have very successfully instilled this value in my children - so much so that they don't refer to being prompt as being prompt - they refer to it instead as 'being Howardly'. This isn't to say I've never been late for anything ever. Of course I have. Things happen. But I feel genuinely bad about it. I hate the thought that I might be keeping someone waiting - that I might be wasting their time.
I'll make no apologies for that - I think it's a good way to be. It's respectful.
That being said, just because I put a high value on the time of others doesn't mean that I put a low value on my own time. I used to. I used to not mind waiting because I figured anything anyone else was doing was more important than anything I might have wanted to do. Not so anymore. I find myself becoming more and more impatient with people who do not value my time. While being prompt is respectful, taking your own sweet time while someone is waiting for you is rude. I'll wait my turn, certainly. I don't allow myself to become frustrated by long lines. But waiting for a scheduled appointment? That frustrates me much more quickly. It's one thing for me to think someone else's time is important and to respect that by being prompt. It is quite another for them to (essentially) come right out and say that their time is more important than mine.
Time never flies in the waiting room.
A stitch in time saves nine, time waits for no man, everything in it's own time... it seems that lyrics aren't the only place that themes of time are prevalent. Why are we so caught up in time? Is it because we all only have a finite amount of it?
Whoa. I hadn't meant to swim into the deep end. I really just wanted an excuse to use an Anthrax lyric as a post title. That song has been a recurring earworm since the first time I heard it. I hope the time I took to write this post won't push me to be late. I hate to be late (for a very important date, it's late it's late it's late but not too late, it's too late baby now it's too late...)
22 comments:
My favorite "time" tune: Time and Tide from Basia. LOVE IT!
I am so with you on this post as I am the very same way. Tying into this are those people who don't have a clue as to what RSVP means. It irks me to no end: people who RSVP then not show up or those who don't but then do. Egads! Whatever happened to courtesy?
Time keeps on slippin, slippin, slippin into the future.....
I am with you on being Howardly. My SIL's family is always late and we refer to it as "Parquette time" as in "the party started at 6 so they'll be here around 6:30 or Parquette time". Drives me crazy!!!
I used to be "Howardly" but I've been making Kramer funny entrances here lately. I can't explain it. The relaxed Florida weather, perhaps? :-)
Time is valuable and I can certainly see the aggravation that is caused by it/from it. I don't like waiting on others and I certainly don't like wasting precious minutes/hours when I could be doing something else.
Doctor's offices/waiting rooms are a joke. We had an appt with our vet yesterday and had to wait 45 minutes after our allotted appt. time for our dog to be seen. Really! In a waiting room with a injured dog and a two year old.... that was a fun time!
What can you do? Just laugh it and sing your songs, I suppose. I sure enjoyed the ones you shared this morning..... :-) Have a great Friday Tammy!
I always like to arrive on time. Hubby isn't always the fastest moving car on the track, so I confess I sometimes have to nag! (Nag as in "Get your ass in gear, so we get there on time!")
I too fall in the second camp. My fam however can't seem to be anywhere on time. Not because they think their time is that valuable but because they are just slower than steam off a dog turd :o)
I left you something on my blog stop by and see.
I was perpetually late until I had my twin girls. Oddly enough knowing I had them to get ready and me and get to daycare/work on time........I pulled it all together.
Now I'm more often early or ontime.....and rarely late.
I do so hate to wait at a Dr office. They overbook, lets be honest.
Waiting on other busy people isn't a problem to me.....like in a store or for a non scheduled kind of service.
Love your music analogies........makes me smile.......
I love how you used 2 different themes; song lyrics AND your time and it's value. I'm the same way with people not valuing MY time. Pisses me off. Even I can admit that their time might be more important, especially DRs, with their bazillion $$ an hour, but my time is valuable too, damnit! :)
I try to be Howard-ly but my husband is the complete opposite. Over time I'm starting to be like him. His complete disregard for others has been too exhausting to fight all these years.
I am very prompt, even when I think I'm going to be late I'm usually on time. The frustrating part is that no one else in my life seems to want to be on time for me. I do not find it cute or amusing to be kept waiting.
We live by the Howardly rule here too. No one in my family likes to be late and as a matter of fact, I've never been late to work in the 7 years on my job. Heck, I'd never even called in sick except once when Jake had to have unexpected surgery. Now I've blown it all to bits with being out on disability for 2 months, but that was unexpected also.
I'm a pretty easy going person but have noticed myself getting upset with these doctor visits that I've been going to. I know their time is valuable but so is ours. Irritates me to no end.
When I first met Mr. Fairway, I was late-as in 2 to 3 hours, sometimes-for everything. After a gazillion years with the guy, I'm early. Prompt means late in my vocab now. Go figure!
I have to agree Tammy. Being kept waiting for a scheduled doctor's appointment is plain rude. I've actually switched doctor's who do this too often. All of my current doctor's are now very good about respecting my time in the same way that they expect their's to be respected. What those doctor's need to remember is that they work FOR you. You can always fire them.
I never really thought about a connection to time in that way. I think I used to always value other people's time more than my own but I'm changing.... ;)
left you an award on my blog hun
There are those times when it feels like the WW of the West has flipped my sands of time and I'm left mouth agape going WTF did she go and do that for.
I'm an overly prompt person too.
It worked well in teh working world, but I'd had to adjust to the mommyhood where it seems nobody can get anywhere on time.
Time has come today.....couldn't resist.
I will wait for most doctors for 30 minutes, then I go to the window and ask to reschedule. Simple as that. I ran a doctor's office for a few years. You can keep it on time.
And I am so with you on being early. I have always said that I would rather wait for someone than keep them waiting. Not that I'm never late, just not often, and when I am I usually apologize profusely.
Of course, being a realtor means always having appointments so it's a bad habit to get into being late.
I have to be on time. I hate the feeling of being late. I usually arrive to everything at least 10 minutes early.
I hate wasting time. It's kinda like wasting $. It just gets under my skin!
I'm the same way about not being late - which is what led to my speeding ticket, only to arrive at the office and have to WAIT ANYWAY :-(
I've always been anal about being on time. I hate letting people down. People who are perpetually late make me crazy; especially friends. I've heard it said that people who are always late are more worried about themselves and that they consider their time more important than yours...basically that they undervalue you. Which in a friendship is probably not too desirable. Probably?! duh. I am finding myself less concerned with being early to app'ts, etc. Goes along with my general apathy over everything. Ah...I could go on. You know it. :)
What a cool family you are...even your family games rock. Literally.
"too much time on my hands" dont i wish....
im with you and my husband is on the other team, he could care less about anyone else's time.
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