When I was in 9th grade, I took a speech class,
and I really didn’t enjoy it. It wasn’t
that the teacher was bad, it’s just that I have really bad stage fright, and
being graded on speaking in front of people was one of my biggest
nightmares. One of the topics we had to
speak about was our biggest pet peeve.
As the wise, mature, 9th grader that I was, I had
no idea if I even had a pet peeve, let alone one that was a higher priority
than the others. I ended up giving my
speech on being called short, and even that was a stretch. I was short, and so I could understand why
someone might call me that.
Recently, I’ve had a shorter fuse than normal. Little things that didn’t bother me now drive
me crazy. I know that there’s a lot
going on recently, so it doesn’t really surprise me. What does surprise me is that I’m starting to
notice little things that have become pet peeves over the past few years. Maybe it’s because I’m living in the adult
world and interacting with more people.
Or maybe it’s because of what I’m dealing with. Whatever it is, I now understand what people
mean by pet peeve.
It’s that thing that makes your skin crawl and your stomach
clench. It’s that thing that you just
want to grab the person and shout “what were you thinking?”
Or maybe that’s just me.
Here’s a few of my recent pet peeves:
1.
Drivers on the highway who drive under the limit
but stay in the left lane. If people are
passing you on the right, then you are in the wrong lane! If you’re not passing someone, then get out
of the left lane. There is no reason for
you to stay in the left lane when you’re the only car on the highway.
2.
People who go back on their word. Sure, there’s the odd moment when you forget
something. But if you schedule
something, especially if it’s something dealing with your business, then don’t
forget! I work night shift. If you say you’re going to be coming at 11am
to fix an appliance, then understand that I’m staying up WAY past my bedtime so
you can come. Please don’t show up at
1:30 that afternoon. And definitely don’t
just not show up at all.
As a nurse, here’s my biggest one.
3.
People who don’t take care of themselves. You’ve only got one body. Take care of it. Treating it like a rental isn’t going to
benefit you in the long run. If your
doctor tells you to reduce sugar or to exercise or if the dentist tells you to
brush your teeth, then they probably have a reason to do so. And if you don’t take care of yourself, if
you ignore everything the doctor says, then accept the consequences, don’t
blame someone else.
I’m not just writing this to vent. As I’m dealing with my own little pet peeves,
I’ve been working on my Blue WIP, and I’m noticing some of the same things in
my main character. I hadn’t realized it
before, but she hates people who pretend they’re someone else. It was already in there, but now that I
understand how pet peeves can get under a person’s skin, it is much easier to
write.
And, if I do say so myself, much more fun to write. I like creating characters who lose control
every once in a while.
How about the rest of you?
Any pet peeves you want to share?
Need to vent?
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