I am late to everything. Unless you are a client, an interview, or the first month I work somewhere. Any person or event other than that? I will be late meeting you.
There is something wrong with my sense of time. I have no clue how long it takes to get places. I have seriously left my home in Antioch to meet someone in Murfreesboro and given myself 15 minutes to get there. In case you didn’t know IT ISN’T POSSIBLE.
And yet I do it time and time again.
Add that to the fact that I can get lost going to my bedroom and I’m just a disaster.
This never really bothered me. But then I realized that this little quirk of mine could be the death of me. Literally.
Last September I flew to Philadelphia with Otis and my best friend since high school, Shelly P. Shelly P is never late. Ever. She has this amazing ability to anticipate everything (“Oh, I knew all the lights would be red so I left 10 minutes early”) and she’s an engineer with TDOT and is privvy to knowledge like Antioch is more than 15 minutes away from Murfreesboro.
Well, she was going to meet us at my house and then we would have Mark take us to the airport. She said she’d be there at 8:00. I expected her at 7:45. (True story: I am making up these times, but Shelly will email me tonight and tell me what time she was really supposed to be there.)
8:00 passed by. No Shelly.
8:01 passed. Shelly still isn’t here.
8:03.
SHELLY MUST BE DEAD.
I’m not joking. I called her at, like, 8:05 because I was worried. Because Shelly is never late. Ever.
She answered her phone immediately (also something I never do) and already knew my concern, “I’m fine, I just took the slow way. I’ll be there in 10 minutes.”)
It was then that I realized that I could be dead for days before anyone ever realized I was gone. Not because I don’t have friends and family that love me, but because I have a reputation for running late. Like, really late. Like, I might just not show up sometimes and people are all, “Didn’t she say yes to the Facebook invite? Oh, well. It’s Marie” (Sorry, MOPS Ladies!).
I also think this is such a good example of how personality types are so different. Shelly can’t imagine being late to anything. I can’t imagine being on time to anything.
Specifically, this is a Judging vs. Perceiving thing in your Myers-Briggs Personality profile (go take it here). I’m a Perceiver so when someone says, “We’ll meet at 7″ what I actually hear is “We’ll get together at a time that has the number 7 in it… 7:15… 7:57… maybe even 8:27″. Shelly is a Judger so when someone says, “We’ll meet at 7″ she’ll be there at 7. Because that’s what you said.
I say all of this because personality differences can be pretty frustrating (thankfully Shelly is very forgiving), but I just want to encourage you to bear with anyone in your life because they probably really, truly don’t see the world the way you do.
Anyone else going to end up dead for days before anyone notices? Or are people going to know something is immediately up when you are 5 minutes late?
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
well, i think you know where i stand
Ha, yes, but you also always let people know where you are!
My difference of opinion/personality is when I attempt to comfort someone. I am comforted best by just laughing and making fun of the situation until it seems funny. The platitudes and ‘there-there’s don’t work on me because I’m very literal and tend to poke holes in statements like “it’ll be alright”. I learned in both college and romantic relationships that mocking other sad people is NOT an accepted comforting technique by most.
I adore you, Heather. We should go crash a funeral together whenever you’re in Nashville (that was a totally inappropriate joke, sorry!)
You made me laugh! I wouldn’t let you rot too long if I was in NAshville. I get worried about latecomers (overactive imagination) and always text after 10-30 min depending on the flakiness of said person :p
I’m always later than you. So there.
Not true! And now I’m thinking I’m just the worst friend ever to Shelly!