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Timeless Tardiness

Timeless Tardiness

By hassen fraihPublished 4 months ago 3 min read
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In the quaint town where I spent my childhood, there existed a charming ritual the ever-persistent tardiness of my father. This man, with his heart full of love and pockets laden with excuses, was a master of stretching minutes into hours, leaving me to linger on the staircase in expectant solitude.

I'd perch myself on those well-worn stairs, a cascade of emotions swirling within impatience vying with understanding, frustration dancing with affection. The world outside seemed to move at a faster pace, but my father's timing was a universe of its own.

He was worth the wait, a truth engraved in the core of my being. Each minute that stretched like taffy on a summer day was a testament to the depth of his love. There were no ticking clocks, only the heartbeat of anticipation echoing through the corridors of our home.

In moments of profound lateness, when the weight of minutes threatened to buckle my resolve, I'd spin tales to protect his reputation. "Caught in the labyrinth of a distant library," I'd declare, or "rescuing a cat from the clutches of a tree." My creativity became a shield against the judgmental gazes of teachers, coaches, and sometimes even my mother.

The clock's hands played a peculiar game, moving at an infuriatingly leisurely pace, yet the arrival of my father was always imminent. There was no worry that he had forgotten the appointed time; it was I who hadn't whispered it close enough to his ears.

I recall those moments when my heart ached and shook with impatience, when well-intentioned advisors would raise an eyebrow or two. "He should be more punctual," they'd remark. But through the skepticism and the fleeting doubts, my conviction stood unshaken. The love that radiated from his slow-motion stroll, the smile that lit up his face, and the warmth of his embrace .

As I reflect on those times, I realize that his lateness was not a flaw but a unique signature, a quirk that painted our shared canvas with vibrant hues. My father's timeless tardiness wasn't a mark of forgetfulness; it was a manifestation of his eternal love, a love that transcended the constraints of the ticking clock.

In the mosaic of my memories, his perpetual lateness remains a cherished brushstroke, an integral part of the masterpiece that is my father's legacy. He was always late, yet he was forever worth the wait

The Value of Arriving Late Over Never Arriving at All"

In the hustle and bustle of our fast-paced lives, there's an unwritten rule that dictates the importance of punctuality. "Better late than never," they say, and while it holds a grain of truth, there's a subtle nuance that often goes unnoticed sometimes, arriving late is far more valuable than never arriving at all.

Life, like a train, hurtles forward on the tracks of deadlines and appointments. We're conditioned to believe that timely arrivals are the epitome of responsibility and reliability. Yet, in the pursuit of punctuality, we risk missing out on the richness of experiences that tardiness can offer.

Consider, for a moment, the scenario where the hurried soul rushes in, breathless and harried, a few minutes behind the scheduled time. Yes, the clock may scold, and the initial inconvenience may cast a fleeting shadow. However, the arrival, albeit delayed, brings with it a presence that would have remained absent had it adhered strictly to the ticking clock.

In a world obsessed with the rigidity of schedules, the art of tardiness introduces an element of spontaneity. It disrupts the monotony of expected arrivals, injecting a sense of unpredictability into the tapestry of our interactions. It's in those tardy moments that conversations take unexpected turns, forging connections that transcend the boundaries of mere timeliness.

There's a certain charm in the fashionably late an allure that stems from the acknowledgment of life's inherent.

The fashionably late individual, having navigated the twists and turns of the day, arrives not as a mere spectator of time but as a participant in the symphony of existence.

Moreover, the notion of "fashionably late" extends beyond the constraints of mere minutes on a clock. It embodies the spirit of embracing life at one's own pace, unburdened by the suffocating expectations of immediacy.

It encourages us to savor the journey, even if it means deviating from the preordained path.

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About the Creator

hassen fraih

My interest in writing is not from the moment, but I have been interested in the subject of writing short stories for years, and I am honored to present to readers more writings that I hope will be admired by distinguished readers. Welcome.

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  • The Dani Writer4 months ago

    These lines contain the quintessential essence missing from this fast-paced template of societal living, "..embracing life at one's own pace, unburdened by the suffocating expectations of immediacy" and "...encourages us to savor the journey, even if it means deviating from the preordained path." Oh, how I LOVE being off the path. Great topic selection and well written!

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