You know my biggest pet peeve? Tardiness. When I am sitting in a class, trying to listen to the professor's lecture, and somebody walks in late, it throws the whole lecture. Or when I need to be somewhere but I'm waiting on somebody to pick me up, and they are late. Or the worst, when I am done with my day of work, but I can't leave until the next person gets there, and they are late. This really rattles my bones.

The worst part of somebody being late are their excuses. If you left late due to not having enough time to get ready, get up earlier. If it is because you slept through your alarm, there are ways to fix that. Set five alarms. One of them is bound to go off. If you are late due to traffic, plan ahead and give yourself enough time. Here in Bellingham, traffic is a lame excuse; there is barely any here. Needing more sleep is a lame excuse. Don't stay up so late and get to bed at a decent time. I am not the only person who gets upset at this behavior -- I guarantee your professor is angry, too. Your boss? Your coworkers? All upset, because being late affects all of them.

Obviously being late once or twice here and there is OK. However, if it becomes a pattern, it pisses a lot of people off (especially me). Here are three reasons why being on time is so important.

1. You are disrupting class or a meeting.

When the professor/adviser has really gotten into their lecture and you walk in late, they're cut off. The door opens, making a loud noise, and everyone stops writing and stares at you. They are distracted from their notes, pushing the entire lecture or meeting behind. Now your professor or the person in charge of the meeting has to catch you up. If you would have been on time, you could have avoided this entire predicament.

2. You miss vital information.

Even if you are only late my a few moments, those few moments you are missing are important. My professor begins his lecture right at 10 a.m., no later. Think about what you are missing if you get there even five minutes late. Sometimes they may catch you up, but they don't always.

3. You are being inconsiderate to those counting on you.

When I count on somebody to be there, whether it be to pick me up or meet with me, I expect them to be there the time they say they will. When the clock ticks away and you are late, I feel like you didn't care enough to be on time. When I have somewhere to be, and my co-workers dillydally into work, I feel like they could care less about me and my feelings. Don't be that person. Of course life happens; we all know that. But at least call and let whoever is in charge or counting on you know you are running late. It shows that you do truly care. You are considerate of their time. You don't want to miss that vital information, and you really don't want to be disruptive. Life just kicked you down for a minute, but you are on your way.

So you see, being on time is vital to humanity. Don't make plans if you can't be on time. If I were your professor, I would probably call you out if you walked in late. If I were your boss and you were constantly late, I'd fire you. This is the real world. We are adults. Be on time, every time.