Late people....(soapbox time!)

have no reason to live....

substitute "late people"
for
"Short people"....

Late people got no reason
Late people got no reason
Late people got no reason
To live

They got late little hands
Late little eyes
They walk around
Tellin' great big late lies
They got late noses
And tiny late teeth
They wear platform shoes
On their nasty late feet

Well, I don't want no late people
Don't want no late people
Don't want no late people
`Round here

With apologies to Mr. Randy Newman...

I have been hummin' his tune all morning long...

only I have bastardized it, by the substitution...

I am attempting to deal with some feelings of anger....

resentment.....

offense taken...

oh forget that, I'm pisssed...

and

 there is absolutely nothing I can do,

but let it go....

But,

while I am good and worked up,

let me ask you what you think.....

Does it bother you when people are perpetually late?

Business associates,

friends,

relatives,

acquaintances,

strangers,

people that you are doing a favor for?

What is that all about, Alfie?

Lack of manners?

ignorance?

disrespect?

control?

attitude?

bad habits?

what?

My parents are exceptional people,

they taught me to 

"Be on time"

period....

anything less was a 

complete disregard for the other person's feelings.

Of course,

one cannot always be on time....

things happen...

That is why we have phones,

(and manners)

so that when we are faced with being late,

we pick up the phone,

call the person we are meeting,

and start with an apology,

and then something of an explanation...

unless, of course this is the regular state of events for us

in which case,

 our friends will have known not to expect us,

our employers will have fired us,

our customers will have taken their business elsewhere.

You get the picture.

Now,

lest you think me a 

"hard-ass" when it comes to time tables....

Let me tell you,

I struggle, really struggle to keep my appointments.

I mess up....

I forget to update my calendar...

I have had a watch actually quit working...

I have had car trouble...

I have lost my cell phone....

and

I have (occasionally) lost track of what day it was...

I am not perfect.

No siree.....not me....

but, I understand the importance of being on time,

and make my apologies asap.

I once worked for an airline,

where, if you were late more than say

ONCE!

You were fired.

Period.

No exceptions....

AND

 wait for it..

this was before anyone,

(including Bill Gates)

had a cell phone.

Really, there was a time.

(the 1980's)

So, if something extraordinary happened to you,

you had better get yourself to a land line quickly,

so that you could let then know.

You cannot imagine what it costs an airline to cancel a 

flight because a crew member doesn't show.

(lots!)

But honestly,

do you have a person in your life that you can

count on to be late?

all the time?

Almost like an attention getting device,

 they seem to like the drama that 

goes along with arriving with a "big apology" 

and a creative 

reason for the delay?

OR 

do they simply show up with no explanation at all?

Acting as though you owed them the wait?

OR

do you get the impression that they use this 

"device" as a way to put you off your guard,

put you on the defensive,

make you so freaking angry that you will jump 

at any chance for a pleasant interaction?

Have you ever confronted this person?

What was the result?

Did they change?

Is that too much to expect?

Do you alter the time you tell them to meet you so 

that you don't have to wait so long?

How do you cope with this?

Any and all suggestions will be taken into consideration....

In the meantime,

the view from up here on the soapbox is 

satisfying....

smiles.

Please don't call me crazy....

Please...

because I recently donated a whole dark room...

Enlarger, paper, canisters, instruction manuals,

etc...

to a student of photography...

young, inexperienced, enthusiastic, naive,

and surprised at the volume of

equipment that was being offered for free...

This equipment was stored at my parents' home,

and had tons of old emotions from a failed marriage

attached to each piece...

Sadness...

Worry...

Fear...

Anger....

Well, you get the picture,

I just simply couldn't look at it anymore.

So,

I called the local Community college...

found a photography instructor,

asked him to find a deserving student,

who could really use a break...

And he delivered.

They loaded a truck on a rainy afternoon...

and drove off with part of my history.

Whew!

Rome.......

This is the view from the top of St. Peter's Basilica. It is a very long climb up. The last part of the climb, you are "tilted" to your right, by the dome's shape. It is uncomfortable. But when you step out onto the observation landing, all the pain vanishes. The view is SPECTACULAR!
The point is, this is just like life. We go thru times that are just plain uncomfortable, they don't fit us, and they bind. And then when we are really sick of the discomfort, we turn around and see a new point of view. Then suddenly we actually see that the journey thru the pain brought us to this spectacular place.
I think it is called "grace".
We become relieved of the heavy burden and we rejoice.
And perhaps the best part is that we can look at our life in retrospect, and see how the events of our life have conspired to lead us right here to this place of serenity, beauty and insight.
I am so blessed.