I took my daughter to school this morning, and we left at the same time as usual. But there was an inordinate amount of traffic for some reason.  So as the lights went from green to yellow to red and repeatedly cycled through with minimal progress toward our destination, my daughter became worried that we would be late.  Oh the horror!

And I, perhaps delusionally, thought this would be a great opportunity for a thoughtful conversation!  What a great way to pass the time while sitting at a red light!

So I kicked things off with this:

“I think we’ll get to school right on time, but what’s the worst thing that could happen if we actually are late?”

Audibly gasping that I would even suggest such an atrocity, she said, “I would get a tardy slip!”

“Ok, but then what?”

“I’ve never gotten a tardy slip ever in my life!”

“I commend you for your pristine record of punctuality, and it’s good to be on time. But is that the worst thing that could happen?”

At this point, she short-circuited. “DAD! It’s 8:11 and the bus gets there at 8:13 and the whistle blows and if I don’t get into the classroom I’ll get a tardy slip!”

“Well, if that tragedy actually did occur, then I should be the one who gets the tardy slip, since it’s not like you can drive yourself.”

“Dad, you’re not understanding. You aren’t even in my class. AUGHHHH!  We’re going to be late!”

Clearly I just wasn’t grasping the magnitude of the situation. So we ended up arriving a couple minutes later, and I literally had to hold her arm to prevent her from running out into traffic. I thought about saying, “Dead people are always late,” as the reason for restraining her, but I figured she wouldn’t appreciate that. It was nice to see her actually run once we got to the sidewalk, though…she’s pretty fast when she wants to be.

I stopped and talked to a few people on my way to the spot where her class lines up…oddly, I somehow had time for this!

And then the whistle blew…time for school!  And, despite the drama, that perfect streak of zero tardy slips remains intact.

And I guess we all magnify the perceived importance of daily events. But I think we often end up so worried about being “on-time” that we minimize the joy and the beauty of the time we’ve been given.

Time is a precious gift, but maybe we should redeem it rather than let it control us. Best to learn that before it’s too late😊

Luke 10:38-42