Ever have one of those days when nothing goes right?
I’m sure you have.
When I’m in a funk and it seems as though the world is against me, I find that the best therapy is to make a list of the things that peeve me off. I’m no therapist, but the exercise does relieve the stress so here goes:
- Telemarketers who keep right on talking even though you’ve told them you weren’t interested in whatever it is they’re selling.
- Motorists who drive slowly on the highway until you attempt to pass them and then they speed up.
- People who wear too much perfume and aftershave in public spaces, especially in enclosed places such as the movie theater and restaurants.
- Speaking of restaurants, I understand that background music creates a certain ambiance, but don’t you find it annoying when you’re trying to have a conversation over a nice meal and the music is playing so loud you can’t hear what the other person is saying?
- Rude people who use their electronic devices in social settings instead of joining the conversation.
- Motorists who continue to text or talk on their phone while driving even though it has been illegal for several years.
- People who use Facebook to insult and ridicule others.
- Jars with caps that are impossible to open.
- Public washrooms with no toilet paper.
- Public washrooms with no paper towels on which to dry my hands and the hand blower doesn’t quite do the job.
- People who pee in public washrooms and then don’t wash their hands.
- Grocery stores that stop selling my favourite products.
- Anyone who says they’re going to do something but then never do it.
- Tailgaters. Back off, mister. Give me some breathing room.
- Smokers who throw lit cigarette butts out their car windows. In this recent hot, humid weather, they may as well stop and light the grass with a lighter.
- Litter bugs. Let’s keep our communities clean and beautiful.
- When people tell me they’ve sent e-mails and I never receive them. Where do they go? Cyber space?
- People who betray my trust. Enough said.
- People who ask me if I’m having a bad day when I thought I was in a good mood.
- Anyone who leaves the shopping cart in the parking lot instead of putting it in one of the shopping cart corrals that are strategically located throughout the parking lot.
- People who refuse to properly sort their trash at public receptacles.
- People who lie to me. It’s been proven time after time down throughout history that honesty is the best policy. We’d all do well to remember that.
- Anyone who works in the public sector but never uses three of the most powerful words on the planet — “please” and “thank you.”
- Dog owners who don’t clean up after their pets.
- Drivers who make a turn without using signal lights.
- A government that loses sight of the people who elected them to office.
- Shoppers who break into line in front of me at the cash register line up.
- When the birds poop on my clean windshield.
- Motorists who don’t slow for me when I’m trying to enter a crosswalk.
- Conversely, pedestrians who dart out into the road are just as bad.
- Other drivers who pull up to the gas pump in front of me even though I’ve been sitting there longer than them.
- Negative people. Individuals who never have anything positive or encouraging to say need to reassess their values. (This column doesn’t count.)
- People who lock their dogs in a car on a hot day.
- Drivers who don’t park properly between the white lines.
- People who spit their gum on the ground for someone else (usually me) to step on.
- When we see money being wasted on frivolous things while so many people struggle in poverty, even right here in Canada, supposedly one of the most affluent nations in the world.
- People who keep me waiting.
- People who use the word “retarded.” This offensive word should be banned from the English language.
- People who complain about the warm temperatures. After the winter and spring we had, we should not complain about the weather we are now experiencing.
- When able-bodied people park in designated handicapped parking spots.
- Parents who don’t make their children wear helmets when riding bikes or using skateboards. Statistics prove that protective headgear saves lives and prevents serious injuries so remember — safety first.
- People who don’t remove their yard sale signs from lampposts and other public places, leaving them up to eventually become eyesores.
- Motorists who maneuver their vehicles so they can push their way ahead of me in the Tim Horton’s drive thru. You do so as your own peril as anyone who gets between my morning tea and me is asking for trouble. … You’ve been warned.
- Motorists who don’t pay attention at the traffic lights. Here’s a quick lesson — green means go. Please pay attention and when the light turns green, put your foot on the accelerator and go.
- People who never give me a straight answer to even the simplest of questions.
- All the senseless killing that occurs in the world. Wouldn’t it be a wonderful world if we could all put our differences aside and get along? Peace and harmony would be a wonderful alternative to what we have now.
Sometimes life just becomes too much to handle and when we become frustrated, it’s necessary to vent. We all have bad days and anyone who tells you otherwise are not being completely honest. When you find yourself in that situation, it’s better to get it off your chest and then move on, or at least that’s the view from here.
