I take a swig of my Diet Pepsi and toss back a small handful of Skittles. I check my phone for the millionth time. Full battery. Check. I pat my pocket for my ID and wallet. Check. I’m good. I’m all good.
I like to get to the airport early. I like to take a deep breath and be situated without a rush. I blame my obsession with time and arriving early on the year 2001 and the stricter airport security regulations that came with it. That’s the year that the Transportation Security Administration, more commonly known in the U.S. as the TSA—the people responsible for the airport screenings—entered normal, everyday vocabulary. But let’s be honest: I was neurotic about being punctual long before 9/11 changed the world.
It’s the stern, imposing, “I eat nails for breakfast” drill sergeant in my head. Left, left, left, right, left. It’s the voice insisting that being on time is already ten minutes late. And for goodness’ sake, you never want to be late.
Cutting it close
It’s not just airports. My wife and I visited my mother recently and made a short detour through my old stomping grounds. It was a quick loop—I mainly wanted to get a good look at my parent’s old house, the one I grew up in, and the old neighborhood. It was one of those trips where I pointed out all the new things in the area to my wife. A fun compare and contrast moment. At least for me. It was also a chance to stop at a couple of mom and pop shops and pick up homemade baked goods and other staples I love from home-home.
Afterwards, I raced back up the two-lane road to get to my mom’s place. My wife asked why I was speeding when we were in no hurry. I told her it was just my lead foot, but the truth was worse: I had told my mom we’d arrive at noon, and thanks to my dawdling, we were going to be late. I had given my word, and now I was breaking it.
She wasn’t going anywhere. She didn’t mind us being late. But I did.
Oh brother.
Falling Asleep on The Job
It’s hard to pinpoint an exact origin for my obsession with punctuality, but I know one major contributor.
When my brothers and I were young, we all rode the school bus. I took the early run to the elementary school, while my brothers caught the later bus. My mom carpooled to work, and my dad left early for his job 15 miles away. They both drilled it into us: get to the bus stop early, don’t be late.
Naturally, one morning, all three of us overslept. We woke up just in time to hear the gears grinding as the bus rumbled past down our country road—leaving us stranded. Panic set in immediately, followed by the three of us frantically pointing fingers at each other.
Suffer the consequences
My oldest brother had the unenviable job of calling Mom. This was well before cell phones. We didn’t call mom unless it was a real life or death emergency. The easy option would have been letting us stay home for the day. Mom wasn’t having it. She called a family friend, who picked us up and drove us to school. Whether she thought staying home was an unearned reward or she wanted to punish us, no matter what, we were going to school.
I’ve never forgotten that feeling—the nervous dread while waiting for our ride, followed by the sense of being behind the rest of the day. And, of course, the earful from my parents that night.
I suspect I hadn’t read about William Shakespeare yet. I didn’t know about Macbeth, Hamlet, or Romeo and Juliet, but I certainly internalized his famous line: “Better three hours too soon than a minute too late.”
So yes, I’ll be the guy sitting in the corner of the airport terminal three hours early, absentmindedly eating my Skittles.
The Early Bird or The Poky Puppy?
So, which one are you? Are you the early bird up before the crack of dawn collecting fresh worms, or the Poky Puppy from the classic storybook—lagging behind, sniffing the flowers, and sneaking everyone else’s dessert when you finally wander home late?
Early bird or late-comer? Let me know in the comments below!
***
- “You may delay, but time will not.” —Benjamin Franklin
- “Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.” —Benjamin Franklin
- “I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time.” —Charles Dickens
- “The early bird gets the worm.” —Proverb
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Always early. Will hurt myself to make it so. 5 minutes early is on time. “Right On time” is late. I live my entire day centered around people being on time. One chink in that armor and my entire day is shot. I’ve broken a few folks of their habitual lateness over the years. At least their lateness concerning their appointment with me. I never understood the phrase “people who are late think their time is more important than yours” until I had a career driven by an appointment book. Now? I totally agree with that sentiment. Well done on you, sir, for always being early. You value other people’s time and it shows great respect.
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