Is It Just Me?
Are there things in life that bug you, but everyone else around you seems to brush them off? Are there people that really get on your nerves? Some annoyances are mild enough that you can turn away and mutter under your breath, but sometimes, it's the little things that irritate you.
Sometimes these annoyances are related to personal preferences or views. No perspective is inherently right; everyone has different views and tastes.
However, when you’re at a restaurant table with friends and mention something that bothers you, and everyone looks at you as if you are mad or a bit odd, you start to wonder; is it just me.
Life’s little annoying things
We all think differently and have different standards and levels of annoyance. So, at the end of the day, does it really matter? Most of the time it doesn’t, but it can still be very annoying.
Here’s a list of some of life’s little annoying things…
1 - A sleeve that rolls down your arm when washing your hands or doing dishes.
2 - Drivers who overtake you on the road, then slow down once they're in front of you, so you have to overtake them again.
3 - People who spit on the ground for no apparent reason.
4 - Having to delete spam emails every day.
5 - Dropping a small screw when you’re up a ladder and it disappears.
6 - People chewing gum with their mouths open.
7 - Finding the start of the Sellotape.
8 - Starting a sentence and then forgetting what on earth you were going to say.
9 - Drivers who don't signal when they're switching lanes.
10 - When a company doesn’t let you make changes to your account or policy online and you have to call them.
11 - People not replacing empty toilet paper rolls.
12 - Having to remove all the bits of a tissue you forgot about when you take something out of the washing machine.
13 - The slurping noise dogs make when they are licking themselves.
14 - Never getting an old USB cable plugged in correctly on the first two tries – Thank god for USB-C.
Personal ‘OCD’ things
Most of us have our own little ‘OCD’ things. These are the little things that are particular to you, and if not done how you would do it, really annoy you, but no one else seems to even notice, or care.
If you are a particularly tidy person and open a kitchen drawer and find that someone has put a fork in the spoon section, you might think, “How could anyone do that?”
Or you may be someone who likes to park your car right at the end of the parking area so no one parks near you and marks your car. But when you get back to the car you find one person has parked right next to you, despite there being free spaces all around.
The people who do these things generally don’t have an issue with it and thus don’t understand why it’s such a big thing. So, it's best not to say anything and simply carry on without making a fuss.
Is It Just Me
Then, there are the bigger “Is It Just Me...?” questions. These include:
Portion Sizes
Take the classic British cod and chips. In this typical English takeaway, the menu usually includes a “large” option. That’s fine if you plan to share, but how on earth does a single person manage to eat a “large cod and large chips”?
My wife and I can comfortably share a medium cod and a medium portion of chips. The staff at our local chip shop often look at me as if I must be mistaken when I order just that, asking if we want another portion of chips along with our two fish. “No, thank you,” I reply, as they pile more chips onto a portion already larger than my stomach.
The same goes for coffee shops and drinks. If you order a Starbucks “Grande” (which means “large”), it’s not even the biggest size; there are two sizes larger than that! This means you’ll spend the rest of your day needing to use the bathroom.
Retiring to the Country
Many people live in cities or large towns while they are working and in the prime of their lives because it's convenient for work, school runs for children, social events, shopping, etc.
When they retire, they then move out into the middle of nowhere in the countryside, far away from everything. I understand the fantasy of getting away for the peace and quiet surrounded by lovely countryside. But the reality is you then have to drive everywhere to see anyone or go anywhere.
Isn’t this the wrong way around?
If you have a busy work life, wouldn’t you want to come home in the evenings to a peaceful and quiet environment to unwind before the next day? Then when you retire, wouldn’t you rather live in the heart of things, where you can easily pop out to a local café, see people and watch life unfold without travelling anywhere, and have the convenience of having everything around you?
Snooze Alarms
Why do some people set their alarm 30 minutes early and keep hitting snooze, rather than just setting the alarm for the time they actually need to get up?
People say it’s because they are “tired” and can’t wake up, but setting the alarm early only results in less sleep, making them even more tired. Surely the solution is to simply go to bed 30 minutes earlier!
Spending a $1000 lying in bed
We all complain about how expensive things are, but nowadays, it’s so easy to find yourself lying in bed on a Sunday, sorting out a few things on your phone, like paying a couple of bills, ordering dog food, and making an Amazon purchase for items you “really need” and before you know it, you’ve spent $1000 just lying there. Unbelievable!
Final thoughts
The good news is it's not just you! We all have things that irritate us and if you're with a group of friends someone will normally agree with you. However, you should always put things in perspective rather than getting too wound up about them. Life is short after all.