Expectation turns an unremarkable delay into a story about being valued.

Ten minutes is a fact, and what it means is supplied by you. A wait that would pass unnoticed on an ordinary day becomes evidence about your standing the moment you were expecting promptness. The delay does not change; the story around it does, and the story is where the hurt gets manufactured. Most people are late for reasons that have nothing to do with what they think of you.

When a small lateness stings, name the story you are telling before you respond to it; then wait for the actual explanation, which is nearly always duller than the one you built.