Whenever you’re striving for perfection, something usually goes wrong. As an example, King Charles of England was upset before the coronation ceremonies, because Prince William and his family were late. Which meant they couldn’t start the procession on time. According to the lip readers, Charles III got pretty upset and said “it’s always something.” He was right about that. And for a man who wants his shoe laces ironed, this was difficult to handle. The trouble is, there’s always a little glitch.

There's Always a Little Glitch. The kids were late to the parade. — THERE’S ALWAYS A LITTLE GLITCH. The coronation didn’t start on time because the kids were late.

Supposing Prince Harry had spilled some coffee down the front of his morning coat and all over his beautiful white shirt. Since his outfit was provided by the French designer, Dior, I’m sure they were prepared for just such a glitch. You can bet they had a backup outfit waiting in the wings, just in case. On the other hand, queen Camilla had two ladies standing behind her as emergency backups. One was her sister, and the other, a body double. So if Camilla conked out for any reason, the other lady could take her place, and hopefully, most people wouldn’t know the difference. It pays to prepare ahead.

The trouble is, we common folk can’t always plan for a backup. What if a button comes off your blouse before a job interview? Or you get a flat tire on the way to pick up your child from daycare? There’s an old saying, whatever can go wrong, will. But instead of trying to be prepared for any emergency (back up blouse, spare tire) it’s probably best to train yourself to stay calm when things go wrong. This is so much easier said than done. Whenever my sister and I had a last minute clothing mishap, our mother would say, “It’ll never be seen on a galloping horse.”

It seems to me that the only way to get through the ups and downs in this life is by lessons learned through meditation. Note it, name it, deal with it. Say you’re angry, upset, nervous, or whatever negative emotion follows one of these little glitches. Observe those feelings, then take a few deep breaths. You may not be able to change things, but you can change the way you react to what’s gone wrong. After you’ve calmed down, you may come to the conclusion that the situation is far less catastrohpic than you thought. Did it matter if the Coronation procession was a few minutes late? Was it worth it for Charles III to get himself worked up about William and Kate not showing up on time? I would doubt if anyone in the crowd knew the difference.

Just remember, there’s always a little glitch.

All of us have family and friends who are always late. Mostly, we just expect it, and put up with it as a harmless, but undesirable character trait. And yet, you have to wonder. Why are some people always late?

Yes, lateness is offensive to us punctual people. So, today, I searched the internet for ways to understand these habitual offenders. I expected to find lots of critics, and I did read some articles flatly stating that tardiness is rude, inconsiderate behavior practiced by self centered people. But hold on to your hats, folks—it ain’t necessarily so.

According to psychologists, lateness has a myriad of causes. Some people just can’t get their act together, because they’re overly optimistic about how much time something will take. They think it will take half an hour to get to the airport, when actually, it will probably take much longer, depending on the traffic. Others multitask, and get so involved with what they are doing that they lose track of time. Supposedly, this is a very good excuse and means the person is more is creative and laid back. Stop, I’ve heard enough. I don’t want to believe the person who keeps me waiting half an hour for a theater date is a highly sensitive, thoughtful person.

People who are always late don't always mean to be rude: they may be procrastinating perfectionists — Family and friends are often annoyed by people who are always late

More to my liking were the articles that attributed lateness to negative traits like a desire for attention, or passive aggression.

Then there were the scientists who have discovered that people with low self esteem are apt to be critical of their own abilities which makes them take an excessive amount of time checking their work, and hence, they miss many deadlines. Another psychologist stated that lateness is a consequence of serious mental health or neurological conditions. Up, down, all around. If you’re always late you could be creative, intelligent, manic, lazy or any label you can come up with.

Okay, I’ve heard enough now to realize that that I should be more tolerant of tardiness. So, the next time someone is an hour late for a dinner date, I’m supposed to relax, order another glass of wine on an empty stomach, and smile? No, I don’t think so.

Tag: perfectionism

THERE’S ALWAYS A LITTLE GLITCH

WHY ARE SOME PEOPLE ALWAYS LATE?

All of us have family and friends who are always late. Mostly, we just expect it, and put up with it as a harmless, but undesirable character trait. And yet, you have to wonder. Why are some people always late?

Okay, I’ve heard enough now to realize that that I should be more tolerant of tardiness. So, the next time someone is an hour late for a dinner date, I’m supposed to relax, order another glass of wine on an empty stomach, and smile? No, I don’t think so.