Don’t you think that the White Rabbit sets a tone of panic for the book Alice in Wonderland, right from the beginning, with this phrase?

Certainly not as lackadaisical as the 7 dwarfs in Snow White who happily chant, “Hi Ho Hi Ho, it’s off to work we go!!”  (they were most likely not late!)

On time = late. 

5 minutes early = on time.

Get a load of this story…it’ll definitely make you cringe…

We were running late to my Boss’ son’s wedding.  Then, of course, we got completely lost trying to find the church in this little city.  So we looped around multiple times till we finally found it.  Then, of course, since we were so late there was absolutely no parking anywhere.  So my darling husband gallantly dropped me off at the church entrance, entreating me to go in and find us seats. Unfortunately, it was one of those old New England stone churches with the giant wooden & iron doors that make enough noise to wake the dead. I tried to be discreet while peeking in to assess the seat situation.  Alas, we’d picked the wrong door, of course.  It opened up right into the middle of the church, as the ceremony was underway! The horror! There would be no discretion if we sauntered in through this entrance.  So, I ran to the other door of the church, only to find it locked, of course. To make a long story short, we decided to wait outside the church for the duration of the ceremony, so as not to disrupt it and just greeted the bride and groom when they came out.  Soooooo embarrassing!

So easily avoided.  If only we’d left 30 minutes earlier…imagine the stress we’d have avoided…

Be early.

So, you gotta be there for 3 pm. Plan to leave at 2 and then you’ll actually leave by 2:15 (what with that last-minute check on your hair & makeup, the holdup while trying to find your camera, etc.).  This will give you ample time to be there for 3, should you run into traffic, an emergency potty stop, have to gas up, get a flat tire, etc…

When you leave just on time you have no margin of error.  Therefore, you will be stressed out.  Therefore, you’ll blame it on anyone within throwing distance: your significant other, your kid, the driver in front of you and next thing you know you’ll be inciting road rage and be driven off the road…

Being late = Tense. Driving fast. Rude. Inconsiderate. Unprofessional. Makes others think that you believe you are the most important person in the world. That your time is much more important than them and their time.

Let’s say the movie starts at 7:20 pm. There’s nothing better than being there at 7. Why? Most likely you got a decent parking spot or at least it allowed for the time it took to walk from your car to the theatre if the parking lot was packed. You got to take your time at the concession stand…maybe tonight you were feeling a little daring and those neon orange cheesy nachos were calling to you, but you kept hemming and hawing about whether or not to get them.  Then you ended up getting your popcorn and orange crush, without snipping at the teenager behind the counter for having a hard time figuring out the correct change to give you.  You found a great seat, easily, without having to squeeze yourself past and step on the toes of a row of people who have been there since 7 and are perfectly comfortably situated already.  You got comfy and watched the previews, which is half the fun of going to the movies…

This is the way life should be.  Enjoyed to the fullest at a leisurely pace, when you consciously decide to go through it early.

Take it from someone who has spent their entire life, until recently, feeling rushed, tense, and panicked while trying to get somewhere on time only to get there late and feel rude, unprofessional & missing out!