Punctuality

Courtesy is often taken for granted. Especially by those of us who grew up with Canadian parents, courtesy comes naturally (or at least it seems that way). It's gotten to the point where if someone doesn't say thank you when I hold the door open I'm quite shocked.

But no where am I more anal (as has often been said) as when it comes to punctuality. I am very rarely late for anything, and so I expect the same of my friends or others. My friend A is always late... for everything. Church, school, work, a shopping trip. . . it drives me up the wall.

So today I had to take a placement test to take French this year, and the test was supposed to start at 10 AM, with a second one in the afternoon. In the interests of being on time, I get there at 9:30, to find a rather long line ( I was number 135, and there were at least 200 after). That was expected, and I start talking to my neighbours. 10 o'clock rolls around, and there's no movement. 10:15, nothing. 10:30, nothing. At 10:45, the line finally begins to move, and twenty people before me we're told to simply come back for the afternoon test. This test was due to end at 11:15, and they couldn't start on time? I had plans! I was going to go to work right after and get a head start on the whole day! Instead I had to go to work, do a bit, come back, take the test, and then go back to work. I can get that it's stressfull, but it's not like having that many people was unexpected! It just annoys me that because they couldn't organise themselves, I had to waste most of my day, when I was on time! Like Charles Dickens said;

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.

And who doesn't want to be like good old Charles?

Anyways, I didn't do as badly as I expected, so that's a plus.


Nats