A race against time

Time always seems to be going against you during the worst of times. It feels like one minute you’re getting ready to leave, not a care in the world, then the next moment you are stomping down your stairs frantically trying to throw on a pair of socks that do not even match. Time is not your friend, whether you believe it is or not.

The day of my doctor’s appointment seemed like any other day. Tik tok was oh so tempting that day. I tricked myself into believing that I really did have those ten extra minutes to spare in bed before getting ready. Ten minutes turned into twenty minutes and twenty turned into thirty. I finally dragged my lazy bones out of bed and started getting ready. I went about my usual routine, watching as the time to leave creeped up closer and closer. As I searched for a pair of socks, I checked my phone. Oh crap! I was supposed to leave for my doctor’s appointment ten minutes ago. My cat of course had to sit in front of me on the staircase, taking up the whole step, as I was trying to scramble down the stairs. My shoe laces were very helpful during my panic to rush because they so kindly triple knotted themselves into an impossible knot. Slamming the door behind me, I ran as fast as I could to my car.

I sped down the road in a flash. You could have called me Lighting Mcqueen because that’s the house I was cruising at. I would never ever speed though because it’s against the law, totally didn’t speed. As soon as I started to make good time and my hopes were up, a stupid tractor is dragging ass down the road. There was a line of ten cars trapped behind the big obnoxious tractor. At that point I was in a full panic. You know how the doctors offices are. They’ll make you wait for forty minutes just in the waiting area before even letting you in but if you’re two minutes late they have a fit. Fuming with road rage, I had to turtle crawl for fifteen down the back roads. Backroads are made for speeding, not turtle crawling. Finally the tractor pulled over and I gunned it down the road. I get to the doctors office and am filled with fear. The parking lot is completely dead. There was not another soul in the lot and the building was completely barren. I run to the door, frantically tugging on it, and nope. The door would not budge. It was locked up tighter than a jail. I urgently called my mom to ask her where my appointment was supposed to be because my doctor’s office apparently.

After taking forever to pick up the phone, my mom told me that the appointment was all the way across town at the new facility. The amount of anger and humiliation that was running through my veins was quite a bit. Instead of sulking about how stupid the day had already been, I ran back to my car and sped across town. Every stop light just felt like being quirky that day and just did the complete opposite of what I wanted. It’s like they knew I was twenty five minutes late for my appointment and were like, haha no, we’re going to stay red for absurd amounts of time just to please you.

At last, I made it to the facility that had been causing me so much stress. What a relief, finally. After everything that had happened that day, I just needed a win. Just one tiny victory to help reassure myself that all the struggle I went through was not for nothing. The whole struggle was in fact all for nothing.

I walked into the building, frustrated and out of breath from the back and forth sprints to my car. The kind woman at the desk asked for my name and date of birth while I stood there awkwardly. She types all my information into the computer just to tell me news that made my heart drop. She apologized and told me that it seems that my appointment was yesterday, not today. Usually I would have loved to skip a doctor’s appointment because there’s nothing enjoyable about being asked weird personal questions by a doctor and being poked with needles. That day I would have given anything to be poked and prodded just to feel as if my journey was worth the hassle. I apologized and left in defeat. The walk back to the car was gut-wrenching. I couldn’t believe that the appointment was the day before. I took my defeat clearly like a champ and totally did not slam my fist against the steering wheel in anger.

I learned that day that time management is a real thing and not just a myth that teachers tell you to have. I also learned that dates are important to make sure that you know what day appointments are before you make a fool of yourself.

Featured Image: “Times” by Giantenshi – DayDreamer is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.