There are a lot of idioms we use involving the use of time. For example, we often hear, time flies, or to kill time, or a waste of time, or no time to lose, or time is money, or in the nick of time, or time will tell. Throughout my life, I have valued time as an important commodity. Wasting time or killing it or losing it, are not good practices.
I was always taught that you should never be late for anything. If I have an appointment or a meeting I am ALWAYS at the required venue well before I need to be. In fact, as a child, I probably had a phobia about being on time. I recall one year, on the day that daylight saving time changed, we didn't change our clocks and when I arrived one hour late to school, I went home instead of arriving late. I was a shy kid and knew that the kids would laugh at me for my mistake so I took the morning off instead, with my Mom's approval. I am not that paranoid as an adult.
Having to wait for a person who is late or a performance that does not start on the anointed time is very irritating. I always feel that those who are late to an event are rude and inconsiderate to others. The expression that you can be "fashionably late" for a social event is an oxymoron to me. It basically implies that your time is not as important as my time.
In my working days, I was always punctual. I recall attending a meeting of about 30 principals called for 9 am. At the appointed time the chair called the meeting to order and it began. At 9:10 one of my colleagues quietly tip-toed into the room and found a seat. The chair, our superintendent, stopped what he was saying for an instant, looked at his watch, and remarked, "I thought this meeting started at 9 am." The humiliated late-principal, nor any other principal, was ever late again. Punctuality can be learned if people are organized and value time as a precious commodity.
Being on time is a valuable attribute and demonstrates respect for others. Don't take it for granted.
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