Everyone has some sort of pet peeve; something that occurs that just gets under their skin that may go unnoticed by most or just simply do not seem like a big deal. I thought that I would share some of my own.
If you know me at all...you know that I am quite a positive person and I also like things to be clean, tidy and organized. I have eased up a bit on my obsession with order since being married. For heaven's sake, I use to alphabetize the beverages in the fridge and would go bananas if they were out of order. Crazy, I know. After taking a step back and realizing how unreasonable I was being, I decided I needed to slow my role.
Like I said, I have eased up but I still find no reason for any one with the means and access to cleaning supplies and those who are able bodied to live in filth. I believe this is even more true if you have children. It's one thing when you only have yourself to think of, but come on.....don't make your kids live that lifestyle. Notice I said "filth" and not "messy". Messy is acceptable at times but filth is not. Filth makes me cringe as I simply cannot wrap my head around it. I believe that in some way, ones standards are lowered when they have a child as they are trying to adjust to this new little person and their "things" taking over their home. At some point, you have to snap out of it and get in a routine and get your head back in the game.
You may be reading this thinking I am completely off my rocker or something of that nature, but that is just me. I do not function well and cannot feel at ease when things are in a disarray. If my space is cluttered or just
not right, so is my mind. I have always been this way. For as long as I can remember, I have had to have order. Everything has always had a place or I have always had some kind of system in place for organization. Is anyone else the same way? (Please say "yes")!
Not all of my pet peeves are focused on cleanliness, order or organization, but many do. I am going to share my list below.
Here it goes:
1. I do not like when people talk bad about others. This is especially true when people talk negatively about complete strangers. It is just something I do not understand. It is just plain hateful and makes me believe that this person must be just plain miserable with their own lives. I have surrounded myself with such great, positive people and am fortunate not to have the type of people who do this sort of thing in my life, but even when I overhear complete strangers doing it, I am bothered. If you are going to talk bad about someone, at least have a reason or some sort of experience with that person to back it up.
2. This is a big one for me. I cannot stand when clothes are hung in a closet with the hanger facing the wrong way. The wrong way means that the hook of the hanger is facing towards you! (See below-I was able to find this pic via a Google image search. I promise, this is not a closet in our home). My hubs had a closet once where the hangers would only hang this way and he just simply had gotten used to doing it this way. Once we married and began living together this habit needed to be broken. It took awhile, but he has been cured of this terrible problem. I also have all the fronts of shirts all facing the same way and things in my own closet are usually color coordinated and by sleeve length. In Clint's closet, his shirts all face the same way and are by style.
3. I think there is a right and a wrong way to put a roll of toilet paper on the fixture. The end of the roll should be on top. This is hard to explain. Luckily, I found an image that explains it perfectly. See below. This bugs me for some reason. If I see it the wrong way even if it is in a public place, I will most likely change it. I am respectful though. If I knew a person believed the opposite was true from my thinking, I wouldn't mess with their t.p. I know how I am and if someone is the same way but just have a different opinion, I would not step on their toes. Usually, I am happy (even for the opposing opinion) just to see others are as anal as I am and that they have standards they like to uphold.
4. I am picky about the way clothes are folded. I must admit that folding laundry is my most hated chore, but I could not ever let anyone else do it with the exception of my own mother. She folds the same way I do. I have considered hiring out laundry services, but couldn't get over the fact that they may fold the shirts or towels all crazy. By "all crazy" I simply mean different than the way I do. It doesn't bother me when I see others fold differently than I do in their own lives, but when I find something in our drawers folded
incorrectly, I am bothered and will fix it.
5. The whole idea behind this post came from seeing this for the gazillionth time yesterday morning. I don't know why but this is a habit I cannot seem to break of Clint's. As much as it bothers me, shutting his drawers and closet completely has just become part of my routine. He use to leave them wide open, so I suppose this is an improvement, but he can never seem to close his drawers and closet after getting what he needs every day. My thing is, if you are going to close the 90%-98% of the way, why not 100%? As I was shutting them again yesterday I thought about all the other adjustments Clint has made to please my OCD with cleaning/organization. I realized, what is the big deal? I will continue to let it irk me and close them each day for the rest of my life, smirk and say "Uh, Clint!" as I shake my fist in the air each time. It takes five seconds of my day and it reminds me, Clint is Clint and I love him, open drawers and closet in all.
*These are actual pictures from our bedroom. I will sometimes takes pictures like this on my phone and send them to him....with no words at all to accompany them. He knows exactly the reason for the message.
6. Next, as an example, I do not understand why when people see this sign:
...they believe it is acceptable for their speedometer to look like this:
This is just a no brainer. Unacceptable. I have to say that not every moment of every day should be rush rush, but come on! At some point, everyone has a time when they are running late, are in a hurry or simple cannot afford the extra 10 minutes it is going to take to drive behind your slow butts! Hit the gas people!
7. I cannot stand when people think they have it so rough. Regardless of how bad your situation may be, there is someone at any given time that has it much worse than you do. Of course, if one is having a bad time, they should be able to feel what they feel and express themselves, but at the same time, as you are experiencing these things, ther comes a moment where you just need to say, look at all the blessing I do have. I must admit that this took me awhile to learn. It was during my study abroad trip in London my junior year in college when this came full circle for me. That experience
changed me. I mean
really changed me. During that experience my eyes were open to so much beauty and truly made me appreciate the situations I faced. It wasn't just the beauty in the scenery, it was the lifestyle, the time to reflect, finding myself and the people and experiences I encountered. During that time in my life I truly learned how good I have it and all the positive that really surrounds me. I was fortunate to meet some of the greatest people who were just what I needed to help me come to these realizations.
8. This is another one that I would think others would agree is unacceptable; littering. I am willing to bet that when one makes the decision to litter, they would have come across an acceptable place of disposal with a few minutes of where they dropped their trash or would have at their next destination. Do your part people. If you have something you want to dispose of, how hard is it to hold onto it for just a few more moments until you come across a trash can or recycling bin?
This pretty much sums up my list based on the things that are on the top of my head. I am sure I could think of many more if I took a long moment to think about it. Some of them may seem silly or quirky, and others I believe are widely accepted pet peeves. Do you have any pet peeves that are the same as my own or that you could share to help me feel more normal? If so, please leave a comment telling me what they are. I would greatly appreciate it.
