I run on Three Creek time. Few people run on Three Creek time, but only because there are just a few Three Creekers. We all run on Three Creek time. This time system is not unique; some of you reading this article live on – insert your redneck town here – time. I see some of you nodding in agreement; the rest of you are normal.

A primary feature of Three Creek time is I am always late. I lie to myself and others that my lateness is due to the long drive. That lie is betrayed by being late to meetings just minutes from my house.

Did you know that time is cultural? Sociologists observe two ways that societies interface with time. These same sociologists describe these cultures as monochronic and polychronic.

Monochronic cultures have a linear and rigid view of time. In these societies, an event begins at a precise time and ends at a later, but equally precise time. Urbanized and industrialized cultures are typically monochronic, so if you’re always late, blame the factory and the railroads, not the farmer or rancher.

A polychronic culture has a decidedly less linear and less rigid relationship with time. In a polychronic society, an event begins organically and ends with a social consensus for ending. Polychronic cultures use terms like “about,” “around” and “-ish,” but never “sharp.” This culture works well in rural settings where you start at sunrise and stop when the work is done. Polychronics don’t clock in and clock out.

I learned about the different approaches to time in an international business course in college. The class explored the inherent conflict that occurs when a businessman in Germany (an extremely monochronic society) interacts with a businessman from Spain (an extremely polychronic society). Each businessman perceives the other as rude unless they recognize this cultural distinction.

The United States is a monochronic society. My evidence is the current debate over daylight saving time. Our more urban neighbors fret over balancing children riding a school bus in the dark with a banker’s need for daylight to finish a round of golf before sunset. Meanwhile, we in rural America wonder why they don’t follow the rhythms of the solar seasons. Just start a smidge earlier or wait a little bit later. Life is simple living outside the tyranny of a ticking time piece.

My wife tries, in vain, to teach our children punctuality. She uses tired old aphorisms like, “If you’re early, you’re on time, if you’re on time, you’re late, if you’re late, you’re left.” Then I tell my kids, “It’s rude to show up early ... give your host a chance to put their party pants on.” Imagine the difficulties growing up in my household?

When I move cows with my kids, they ask how long it will take. Anyone who has cowboyed knows better than to promise a time. Cows have a mind of their own, after all. I tell them we’ll be home before lunch. When the day goes sideways and we return at 5 o’clock, they complain, “We weren’t home before noon,” to which I reply, “I said we’d be home before lunch. Turns out lunch is late today.”

Some in our society claim that punctuality is a Christian value. This heresy doesn’t rise to the level of a schism, but punctuality is not a Christian value. My proof is simple: Jesus didn’t own a watch. Granted, He didn’t shave, cut His hair, or wear pants either, so I’m not sure you can base your theology on the absence of a wristwatch. If you give me 20 minutes and fair measure of leeway, I could make the theological case that there is no time in heaven, but hell has a time clock; you punch in and punch out. I’ll let you decide if heaven time aligns with Three Creek time.

Living in a monochronic society, the vice of polychronic living is amplified. I live with the shame of always being late, but not really because I am annoyingly ambivalent about my tardiness. So let’s explore the virtue of living on Three Creek time.

A polychronic society values flexibility and interpersonal relationships over rigid adherence to a timeline. A polychronic culture is more adaptable and will typically find a better balance between work, family and other endeavors.

The question we should ask is, do I prioritize my time like I live in a polychronic culture, or am I just late? A common theme in my articles involves preserving our rural lifestyle instead of clamoring for a more urban way of life. Are we mixing the cons we endure with living in the countryside with the cons of urban living? I pose the same question concerning polychronics living more like monochronics.

If I am late to every event, but I don’t value interpersonal relationships, then I might not live on Three Creek time. If my predictable lateness doesn’t come with the balance of work, family and other endeavors, then maybe I’m not as polychronic as I claim. Living on Three Creek time should come with the cultural benefits; otherwise, I’m just the guy who is always late.

This summer, reclaim time for the important things. Let the devil wear his pocket watch; let the rest of us live on Three Creek time.