The world is being turned upside down, one election and one dictator at a time. It seems to be spinning to the right, out of control, with the loud, chaotic noise of “power brokering spin doctors” drowning out the voices of truth.
Sadly, this shift of power, led by arguably the most powerful leader in the world (Trump) and (not arguably) the richest man in the world, Musk, is leaving a trail of devastation, destruction, and death in its wake. Spin it any way you want, but unless the truth prevails, democracy may not.
That said, this offering is about none of this. Instead, it is about all those “little things” that somehow get under your skin.
Perspective. It’s a quality that often lies dormant when you get angry at a transgression which, in the moment, seems significant. A sibling didn’t return a phone call. Your partner forgot to pick up the shampoo at the store. You completely forgot a friend's birthday.
Cheddar cheese ages well. However, as it gets older, mould begins to form. I am beginning to notice a bit of mouldiness. The sharp cheddar is now a medium cheddar, and most likely heading to mild. That’s okay; we adjust.
The issue, then, is not aging: the issue is adapting.
How much time do we want to give to anger, to being upset over things we have absolutely no control over? I would suggest very little. When the sand in the hourglass of life becomes bottom-heavy, time becomes a more precious gift, to be used to embrace family, friends, and all moments of magic that come your way with a little passion.
Don’t let not being able to find a “good” parking space at Costco piss you off. Don’t get angry at the customer in front of you at Superstore for their credit card not working. If your cart is fully-loaded and someone behind you in line has just a few items, maybe offer them your place. I started doing this: it costs maybe 60 seconds of time, but the smile and thanks makes it well worth a single minute out of my day.
Many things still irritate me, and I still struggle with those that I just can’t comprehend. Everyone has different everyday irritants. You will probably share some of mine, and have some of your own. Let’s all do our best to not give them too much of our precious time. In the meantime, here are a few of mine, in no particular order.
Shopping: I could do a top 10 list with shopping alone, which has one irritant that begs for the intervention of a traffic cop: the roadblocks in aisles. This is where friends choose to visit, but put two grocery carts in an aisle while you visit and you have created a detour for everyone else in the store.
Some folks will say “Excuse me,” while others just move on as best they can. My question to the visitors is, are you not aware or do you just not care about the roadblock, often at the top or bottom of the aisle?
Driving: Another arena of multiple irritants. Why oh why, when someone is travelling under the speed limit and you prime yourself to pass, do they speed up when you get to the passing lane? I don’t think all their rear-view mirrors are broken. I don’t get it.
Restaurants: Another venue I am quite familiar with, and where there are two irritants that top my list. First is a family meal where the parents and most (or all) of the children have their cellphones going 90 miles a minute. Maybe they put them down for dinner; sometimes they don’t.
Second is a family meal where there is a baby or (even worse) a young child and they start crying, screaming, or both. Attempts to calm them fail, and the beat goes on. It’s a beat to a different drummer, and one that does not belong in a restaurant. Customers come for a good meal, but just as important it is often a time to relax, to chill.
Old irritants die hard! That said, embracing the power of positivity and making lemonade out of your lemons in life (letting someone cut in front of you in line at the grocery store because you have an overflowing cart is a jug of lemonade) makes the road travelled a much more pleasant journey.
