“It’s about time,” Molly uttered under her breath. Waiting for a few minutes? That was to be expected. But for over an hour, Molly’s best friend, Shannen, to do her hair and makeup was a little more than patience; that was ridiculous! “Sheesh. What all were you doing, anyway? I’ve been waiting down here for almost two hours!” Molly was exaggerating, something she did often. Her friends knew it and didn’t have the heart to tell her.

“It has not been two hours,” Shannen replied. “Maybe an hour and ten minutes. But not quite that.”

“You were supposed to be ready to go when I got here. What happened to the time?”

“I don’t know. I was busy.”

Busy. It’s the calling card of our culture today. Busy doing the dishes. Filing paperwork for our employer. Washing the kid’s clothes. Busy running red lights because it’s an emergency! We’re late now because we weren’t mindful of the time. And, isn’t it funny how we get there, and suddenly it’s everyone else’s fault.

How many times have you been driving down the freeway at the predetermined speed, and someone flies up behind you, honking their horn and flashing their lights, insisting you move because they are in a hurry? Could they change lanes? Yes, the left lane is clear. But you are impeding their forward movement. They are too important, and their poor time management skills are now blamed on the slow car in the slow lane. So you have three choices: slow down even more, forcing them to change lanes; continue traveling the speed limit until they move on their own; or slam on the brakes, causing a pileup on the 405 or even the 680.

But what if the impatient person is you? What if it’s you? You are the one. Honking your horn. Flashing your high beams. You are forcing others to get out of your way because you are too arrogant to realize your actions are self-centered. When was the last time you were the one car on the freeway? Unless you drive to Arizona on I-10 in the middle of the night, you must contend with other drivers.

Instead of controlling things, be mindful of how we react to others. We can’t control other people. We get opportunities to respond and love others well. Make the most of every encounter, building up others, not tearing them down.

So the next time you are in a hurry, ask if the person in front of you is the problem. Or are you?

Shannen reached out for Molly’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “I’m really sorry that I wasn’t ready on time. This night is important to you, and I should’ve been more watchful of the time. Can you forgive me?”

Molly rolled her eyes. “I guess so. This time, at least. Come on. The limo’s outside, and we have a bride-to-be to pick up!”