Does the early bird really get the worm?

A few months ago, I pulled into the garage to get the oil changed in my car. The guy behind the counter took my keys and looked at me, “You’re a little early, right.” 

Yea, he got me. My meeting had ended earlier than I expected and rather than waiting and getting pulled into another workplace fire drill, I packed up my laptop and went to drop off my car two hours earlier than my scheduled appointment. Fortunately, the garage had a cancellation and could take me right away.

Of course, I’ve had plenty of other appointments where my early or on-time arrival has meant nothing, but still I try.

Image by Ono Kosuki via Pexels.

Time waits for no man

Yes, I’m one of those people. If I’m not ten minutes early, I may as well be late and I hate being late. I abhor it. It’s not really the lateness that bothers me. I hate the disrespect and rudeness to others, even if it’s a doctor’s appointment. I hate the rush-rush of traffic too, as you inevitably speed up and try to make up for lost time.

There’s much in life that is out of my hands and I can’t control. However, I can usually control whether I show up on time or not. I try to make the extra effort. In fact, I’ve come to agree with Canadian chemist Orlando Aloysius Battista who said, “One good thing about punctuality is that it’s a sure way to help you enjoy a few minutes of privacy.”

He’s so right, most of us are always running late.

There is one downside to being the early bird. I suspect my desire to be early is going to be the death of me. First, I get antsy when I’m even close to being late. I’m sure that’s going to catch up with me one day and bring on a heart attack. On top of it, I suspect in the afterlife it’s going to come back and bite me. 

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Gonna get me in trouble

When my time comes, I have a bad feeling I’m going land in front of St. Peter and the Pearly Gates. He’s going to look at his list and say “Oh, I don’t see your name Brian. This must be another attempt by that sneaky Devil to slip one by us, we gotta send you back.”

I’ll yell and scream, but he won’t hear me. As he’s about to hit the elevator down button to the basement floor, one of his assistants will point to my designated appointment time, informing him that I’m not trying to sneak in without access, I’m just a few minutes ahead of schedule.

“Oh Brian, I see your name now, you almost missed your chance. Enjoy your stay.”

Yes, maybe being early isn’t always a good thing!