Slamming into the world.

A boss of mine back before my business, told me I had a lead foot. He was right. At the time he said this, I’d been driving a company car and hit the curb hard making an exit off the expressway at twenty mph over the limit. The wheel was pushed back out of place and ruined.

In the 1970’s and 1980’s I got about 5 speeding tickets, on surface streets and the expressway. It was normal for me to drive ten miles over the limit and I was often driving at speeds in excess of twenty miles over the limit. Yes, I did this even when expressway speeds were 70 mph in Indiana and Kentucky!

After my last ticket in 1997 I have made an effort to drive the speed limit.

In the past year with the price of gas rising from $1.90 to $4.39, I’ve used driving slowly as a method of saving gas. There are things I have to drive to, not matter how I try to change my way of life, so you will see me driving 30 in a 35 zone and 55 in a 60 zone. When I drive north each month for my regular appointment I drive 60 in a 70 zone. It works!

Other drivers don’t drive the speed limit or anywhere near to it. I drive with my lights on and if someone is coming fast behind me, I flash my break lights. I find it especially amusing when a Hummer or a Ford Expedition flies by at 90.

I wonder what I was such a rush for all the years previous.

Time & Tranquility

It’s my opinion there are two kinds of people, in regards to getting where you’re expected on time.

A friend told me when he went to a doctor or dentist, they had 15 minutes to take him back and start the appointment. If they didn’t do so, he left and didn’t pay co-pay. He believes he’s trained many a doctor with this method. In the same regard, when he has a client call for an appointment, he will be on time and will wait days for them to appear. It’s a matter of who holds the power. He does with the doctor and his client does in that circumstance.

Myself, I’ve always felt my time was not as valuable as the person I had the appointment with, so I’ve spent many hours waiting for the appointed hour, having been early. If the appointment was for 10 a.m., I’ll be there at 9:50 a.m. and wait until 10:30 a.m. for the other person to appear.

I have given thought to this. When a particular person is always 30 plus minutes late, the time for the appointment isn’t really 10 a.m. It’s really 10:30 a.m. I’ve adjusted by calling the person or office at five minutes to and asking if they are there. If they are not, I don’t arrive until 10:20 a.m. Once in a while they will be there, and have to wait for me. I don’t apologize for being late. I just arrive and begin the appointment.

The person who is always late, in fact almost precisely the same amount of time late under the same circumstance, believes their time is more valuable than any other person. They are willing to immediately say they are sorry to be late and are always primed to tell you exactly why they are late. The reason is always someone else’s fault. Whereas I knew your time target and all things leading up to that target I worked toward the goal. If someone tried to delay me, I told them I was sorry I had to go.

I don’t react by chewing them out. I react by taking a book to read. I’ve read many books this way.