Rush Hour

If it wasn’t for haste, my number of husband “Man Errors” would be significantly lower along with about a million other unnecessary things I say and do. “Haste makes waste” is a hard axiom to dispute. Whether it’s rushing your shot in a game or mistiming the words you say I can confirm that Rush Hour can become a lifestyle – a habit detrimental to you and those closest to you.

What prompts me to rush my words or impetuously make decisions is a false sense of urgency. In my mind I’m thinking #1 that I’m right and #2 that what I have to say has immediate significance. I used to think that it was just the delivery of my words that bore importance but I’m learning Trial-and-Error style that I talk too much and often at the wrong times.

Where actions are concerned, I’m guilty of imposing fallacious time tables on myself, the kind that say, ” You’re wanting to apply to that Ph.D. program and you only have 5-6 weeks to get it done.” The truth is, I have until I die to get it done; I’d just rather not wait that long. Rush Hour is a monarchy in our age, dare I say a Dictatorship. Ethics, priorities and the very joy of our existence, at least mine, are adversely affected by a propensity to be expedient at all costs. Fast is the rule in Southern California but we’re not alone.

So if I had this morning back, I’d take the rush out of my conversation with my wife. I’d take my time leaving the house because I forgot my wallet and it cost me 10 minutes. In my hurry to do some yard work I turned the hedge trimmers into 100-foot extension cord trimmers. Did I mention that I’m three weeks behind on car washing, home repair and book publishing research because I’ve created an unlivable pace that speeds me past things and people that matter. “Young man,” the older folks used to say, “What’s your hurry?”