30-Day Writing Challenge
Day 3: What are your top 3 pet peeves?

Pet Peeve
Definition: Something that a particular person finds especially annoying.

Number 1: Interrupters
I know it’s the teacher in me [since I deal with this on a daily basis], but I cannot handle interrupters. The amount of times I hold up my hand, say, “Please don’t interrupt me,” or “Have patience” (both to them and myself!) is a ridiculous amount of times.

Not only that, I dislike it when adults interrupt each other, too. For goodness sakes, you’ve learned a little more self-control than children (I hope). Can’t you have the decency and respect to let the other person finish what they’re saying? Or no, because you think that your thoughts are so much more important than the other person’s?

It comes down to a simple matter of selfishness – which peeves me endlessly, too (both my own and others). Interrupting is just one small demonstration of the many ways our selfishness bubbles to the surface, and it is not enjoyable at all.

Number 2: Bad Smells
Maybe I’m just more sensitive to bad odors or maybe I react more aversely to them, but I just can’t stomach them. Whether it’s bad breath, body odor, smelly feet, garbage, old food smells, stale classroom air – I despise them all with a passion.

Hence the extreme measures I sometimes take to make sure my apartment doesn’t smell bad … like running out any onion remains to the dumpster instead of letting them sit in my garbage can – or brewing a pot of coffee one morning and pouring it down the drain just to rid the air of last night’s dinner smell.

Some of my favorite compliments are when people tell me that I smell good, that my classroom smells good, or that my apartment smells good. I don’t want to do overkill on the pleasant aromas, but I do want people to feel subconsciously comforted and warmed by the smells of my living and working space instead of repulsed and nauseated.

Number 3: When People are on their Phones All.The.Time.
I get it. Checking a text or responding to it really quickly once or twice is fine. But really? Is scrolling through your Facebook feed more important than talking to the people that you’re supposed to be having a conversation with? It’s bad enough when someone’s sitting in a room full of people and ignoring them all by being attached to their phone screen.

But it’s even worse when you’re in a conversation with someone (or several people), and they’re continuously checking their phone or scrolling through it. I don’t just find it annoying, I find it rude that people would consider their own little world on their phone of more importance than what’s going on around them.

I’ve felt that urgent need inside of me before to be checking my phone, and I despise it. I have to ask myself, “Do you really need to see who just liked or commented on your picture right now? Or can you just put away that digital world and be fully immersed in the real, physical world happening around you right now?”

Giving the gift of your full attention to someone is an uncommon thing in our present-day society. I think we should strive to focus more on actively listening to someone else instead of focusing on what the worlds of social media think of us.

Peeved or not by these small irritations, I still have to learn to have grace and patience when I encounter them. Obviously the world doesn’t revolve around me and my wants, and I’m sure I have small things that annoy other people, too. Hopefully we can continue to have patience and love for everyone around us, despite the annoyances of daily living.