Things That Grind My Gears

 

The last few times in my Pickleball class, I've played with the same few people, but there is one kid in particular that really gets on my nerves. It’s for the absolute dumbest reasons but nevertheless, every opportunity I get I smash the ball at him in hopes of hitting him where it counts. A few things that irritate me, he calls the score out before every persons serve. Even after I said the score 2 seconds before! After picking up the ball he never hits it back to the person who is going to be serving, he just smacks it to the back wall for the server to pick up. He tries to tell us how to play, when he is clearly worse than the other three of us on the court. Those are all little things, but for whatever reason, I cannot tolerate him and he has made me realize some new pet peeves I didn’t know I had. So that is what this post is about. Things that really grind my gears.  A quick side note: Don’t judge me. I’m thinking of the pet peeves in my head, and even when I try to explain them to myself they sound ridiculous, so I can only imagine how they will come off to you. But we all have our own pet peeves that most people don’t understand.

One that only a few people will understand took place at my old college ward in Saint George. It’s the greatest ward in the world. But one thing I did not like is that immediately following the closing prayer, the Sunday School President would get up, and give a quick thought before saying what the classes were for the day. That isn’t what bothered me. What bothered me is when he got up and the very first line out of his mouth was “Welcome to Sunday School.” That statement really got on my nerves because he was implying that Sunday School was beginning right then, and that we were going to remain seated in the chapel for the next hour. Since I had experienced it countless times I knew that was not the case. However, each week I had to watch 5 or more members of the congregation that were visiting, frantically look at each other unsure of what to do because they planned on leaving immediately after sacrament. So they would get up and leave in the middle of his introduction to Sunday School. Such a stupid pet peeve, but those who sat next to me during that time could see the look on my face and the irritation that it brought.

One I think everyone can relate to is slow walkers on sidewalks, or in a hallway. People that are oblivious to other people trying to get around and think they are the only ones entitled to getting around on campus. Yesterday I had an experience where these two girls cut me off in the hallway, and took it upon themselves to walk as slowly as possible and take up the entire hallway so I could not even pass, so after nearly stepping on the back of their shoes a couple times I politely said “Excuse me” as I squeezed past them in the small hallway. I looked at them and gave a small courteous grin and (not to be racist) but the black girl turned and looked at me and gave me one of the most disgusted looks I’ve received in a while. As if I was a complete A hole for wanting to actually progress in a forward direction as I walk.

Another is people who have no concept of time. Time is relevant, or so they say in physics. But that’s why we have cell phones and watches. Some people have no concept of time. If somebody says they are going to meet me at 11:00, they sure as heck better be there no more than 5 minutes late. One example happened this last conference during the Saturday session. I text my good friend between sessions to go get lunch. He said he needed to shower and what not so I said ok let’s meet at Durangos at 1:05. I know he is typically late so even gave him some spare time and I went to Old Navy to kill some time. He didn’t show up until 1:42. I sat there waiting for 37 minutes as if I had nothing better to do with my time. This happens constantly with my friends. If we say we are going to play basketball at 8:30, I can show up at 9 and still be one of the first ones there. But yet I still show up at 8:30 because I am OCD about being punctual.

Those are all stupid little pet peeves, nothing to go on a shooting spree about. But  they grind my gears to say the least. I have more I could go off about like cars not signaling when they turn, girls that are attractive wearing too much make up rendering them unattractive, and others along those lines, but we’ll leave it at that for now. If you guys have any pet peeves of your own leave them in the comment box so I won’t feel so weird about my quirky pet peeves.