"See you at 7-ish." This morning one of the web sites I visit said, "we will publish a pod cast every other week, Thursday-ish."
"Ish"
It's not very precise. Matter of fact, it gives a person a lot of leeway and room for being late or early for an appointment.
There are already some people that live by "ish." I can think of several. Have you ever waited for the cable company to come to your house? They usually say, "we will be there between noon and five." That's an "ish" moment. Doctor's offices? "Ish" moments. "How old is she? Oh, she is 50-ish."
"Ish"
It makes me wonder if it easier to use "ish" than it is to be precise and then hold ourselves accountable to what we commit to? It causes me to wonder if people that live in the land of "ish" are undisciplined. It even causes me to question whether some people use the word "ish" because they are hesitant to commit?
Have you ever met people who are habitually late for appointments and meetings? They often live in the world of "ish." They say, "let's meet at 4-ish" which enables them to be free from the tyranny of being on time.
I just checked my calendar and it is still blocked out in hour segments. No room for "ish."
I gotta get going, time's a wastin'. Some people would look at my calendar and say, "You have a 9-ish, 10-30-ish, Noon-ish and a 4-ish appointments today." But I am taking the "ish" out and I will be on time today. How about you?
1 comment:
Perhaps ish is a way of saying "no, I'm not in a hurry. We can talk as long as we need." Perhaps ish is a way of saying that our appointments are not the driving force of our lives.
Perhaps ish is a nod to life's unpredictability and uncertainty. We cannot control how life unfolds, so we ish.
Maybe it is bad form. Maybe it is rude. Maybe it is everything else you have said. Or it is simply a more common way of saying that we are tired of the tyranny of the clock.
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