Running late...

Hello. My name is Katie and I'm a Late-aholic. (Not to be confused with a Latte-holic.) 

That's right. I'm perpetually running late. The family joke is that I was born 13 days late and have been running late ever since...though since it's true, I guess it's less of a joke and more a disclaimer. :)

I've seen several article recently, the latest from Forbes, about running late being unacceptable. Literally, the title of that one is "5 Minutes Early Is On Time; On Time Is Late; Late Is Unacceptable." And while on the one hand, I get it...you shouldn't be late...on the other hand, it bugs me. Not that I'm prejudiced or anything. :)

There are some things you really, really shouldn't be late for...Mass, work, a doctors or haircut appointments...but as for the rest...

...life happens. 

As you're about to walk out the door, you remember the load of laundry in the washer that needs to be moved to the dryer. You forget to grab your shoes before you came downstairs (due to space restrictions and a plethora of footwear, most of mine are located in my bedroom) and have to run back up before heading out the door. If you have a pet, finding a mess to clean up as you're leaving is not unusual. Or if you have kids! There are about a million things that can prevent you from leaving when you intended to if you have children to corral, diapers to change, little feet to get into shoes or diaper bags to refill! 

Or if you're me and are bad at estimating how long it will take you to a) be ready to walk out the door and b) how long it will take to get to your destination. 

And as someone who runs late, do you know how annoying it can be when people are early? I'm frantically trying to get ready for guests, am running behind (duh) and suddenly I have to drop what I'm doing because someone decided being 5 minutes early was "on time"? Not cool, overachiever. Not cool. 

Do I think it's ok to show up to social events super late? No. People do plan around their starting time to have things ready. If I'm making dinner and you're running a half an hour late, I kinda need to know so that the food doesn't burn...or get cold. But I  also don't think it's appropriate to make passive aggressive comments meant to make you feel about this big if you're running a few minutes behind either. 

Being flexible is ok...and being considerate is too. When I know I'm going to be running more than 5 or so minutes late, I will call or text to let the person know. 

I don't know. I'm a little rant-y because I feel like someone's pointing a judgy finger at me and silently thinking I'm the worst person ever. Or in the case of that article, slapping me in the face with a clock, berating me as disrespectful, inconsiderate, flaky and megalomaniacal (also known as Donald Trump syndrome). I am a lot of things, but I am in no way Donald Trump-y. Like, at all. 

I just don't think it's good to make people feel guilty for something when you have no idea of the circumstances that caused it. Now, if they mention that on their way to work (a meeting/appointment/etc) they stopped at Starbucks, even though they were already running late and there were 6 cars in the drive thru, that's a different story. :) 

And in an attempt at irony, I'm posting this on the early side...which means I can include a link to "Movie Time with Matt." Click here to stream it live at 10am! :)

Enjoy and happy Friday! 


~ Katie 


And I offer this GIF in lieu of a "Song of the Day"...because wizards are always right...right? :)