38 It’s (Usually) Not Okay to Be Late

I dislike being late. It makes me feel anxious and disorganized, and I’m uncomfortable at the prospect of disrupting somebody else’s schedule.

On the other hand, I generally don’t mind being kept waiting if I’m meeting a friend or client. I always have a book and phone with me, I treat the waiting period as found time, and I catch up on messages or read something I enjoy.

However, there are two conditions to my tolerance. First, I want a heads-up. When I’m not alerted the other person is running late, I worry that I’m in the wrong place, or at the wrong time, or that something awful has happened. Second, I don’t want to be made late if it means that I, in turn, will be late for somebody else.

But that’s just ...

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