Hey, it’s raining in the ATX. Sort of like it, but it’s starting to get old.

So, today the Big Red Car is talking about shoplifting time.

The only real equality in life is time. We each get 24 hours per day. Not one second more even if you’re a billionaire.

What does that even mean, Big Red Car?

Shoplifting time, Big Red Car?

In our lives, we often contract with persons to provide a service at a specific instant in time, like a hair salon stylist. You may even wait to get an appointment with a specific stylist because of their ability to unearth and reveal your considerable natural beauty (or to change the color of your mouse brown hair to a stunning blonde).

This skillful person is leveraging their talent with time. In that hour, they will make magic – or if they are a masseuse, they may free you from the pain of that 30-mile bike ride.

They make their living by offering their time and talent in bite sized increments. They safeguard that hour to work for you and only you. You have bought that time. You own that time, safe from all interlopers and drop-in appointment seekers.

When you cancel an appointment at the last minute, you steal their ability to derive income from their time – you are shoplifting time, their time.

This is bad. Do not shoplift time.

So, what do we do, Big Red Car?

If you shoplift a person’s time without sufficient notice for them to be able to replace you in their appointment book, then you pay them for their time. 

Yes, dear reader, you pay them for their time because you have shoplifted their ability to derive income from their time and talent.

You may be tempted to quibble on the amount of notice – is two days enough? Be guided by how long it took to get the appointment in the first place.

Also, be guided by the reality of whether the person was able to replace you in their book. Ask them.

In the first instance, pay them exactly what you would have paid them if you had kept the appointment. No, don’t make that face at me.

Please note that I did not even mention the unmentionable – your stood them up. Egads!

In the second instance, give them a very nice tip the next time they render your mouse brown hair to blonde and add at least $20. If you live in New York, double it.

Last thought – if you do this, you will feel better, they will appreciate it, the order of the universe will be calm, and you will have done the right thing.

Also, if you do this, the young man who brings you your espresso will not spit in it. This is a real thing, trust me.

But, hey, what the Hell do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car. Ooops, got to run, late for an oil change.