(I realize that this may sound similar to an earlier post – “Pet Peeves”. Kinda… but this is specific.)
I am a terrible wait-er. I hate to wait. For anything. Ever. At any time. Period. And don’t try to tell me that this has to do with the reality that I have no patience. They are only slightly, tangentially related. Waiting, for me, is frustrating….. whether or not I have something to occupy my time while I wait.
I suspect that part of my intense dislike is related to my perception of etiquette. I think it is totally rude to keep other people waiting without first alerting them to the fact that you are not going to be ready on time. It’s really not necessary to provide a ‘reason’/excuse as much as it is important to provide some sense of when you are going to be ready.
Unfortunately, most people don’t function according to that standard. They simply aren’t where they are suppose to be when they are suppose to. And, to make matters worse they really expect you to ‘understand’ and simply wait…. till they are ready. Unfortunately, too, since I have the ‘on time’ standard then I am required to attend to that and be on time.
I suspect that part of this goes back to my father. He would never accept that you weren’t ready when you were suppose to. If we were going to leave for … at a particular time, then he expected to leave then. I’m not sure he ever left someone but I do know he threatened to. And, believe it or not, I really was basically a dutiful child.
Regardless of the reason for my standard…. there it is. Bottom line is that those of you out there in cyberland who DO make others wait, the message you leave others with is: “you aren’t as important as I am. What I have to do is far more important than what you have to do.” It really is a statement of the importance and value of the other person. Oh you can say what you want… it is! But I’m speaking to the chronic abusers, not the occasional late person. And… you know who you are!
