My Biggest Pet Peeves

 I was eating a lovely breakfast with some of my dearest friends the other day, and we started to talk about things that bother us.  For some people, eating near the bathroom is a traumatic experience.  Others are bothered by inconsistencies in grammar or poor theological conclusions.  My dad hates the sound of a fork clicking against one’s teeth.  All of these strange and specific annoyances got me thinking.  What are my biggest pet peeves? As it turns out, I think I am bothered by a lot of various occurrences.  I sincerely hope this blog post does not reflect my inner crazy too much.  Or do I?  *Cue maniacal laughter followed by a lone hiccup*

 1. Styrofoam.  … I don’t know what it is about this material, or the sound it makes, but the feeling I get when I interact with Styrofoam is comparable to that of nails on a chalkboard.  Even thinking about it makes me feel all squirrely inside.  I wish I could explain my aversion to this mysterious material, but alas, I have no justifications. 

      2. When people say “for all intensive purposes.” The phrase is “for all intents and purposes” GET IT RIGHT.

      3. People who sass me for not knowing song lyrics.  I just do not know them, ok?! That is who I am.  I cannot magically remember the words to everything, all the time.

       4.  Wearing two different shoes.  Even if they are the same height, wearing two separate shoes feels wrong.  I know this from my many failed attempts to be as mismatched as possible for all of the dress up days I have participated in at school.

      5. Wet things in my ears.  Like wet willies.  I get the worst goose bumps from that! Then again, that is probably everybody’s pet peeve…

6  6.  The word pet peeve.  What does that even mean?

7  7. All those random times in live when I get the shivers.  You know how they say if you have a shiver, it means somebody stepped on your future grave? I think of that every time now, and it freaks me out! Why does this happen to people?

   8.  Mosquitos.  Somebody told me the other day that scientists have proven that the world could be completely functional without mosquitos.  Essentially, the inflict itchiness for no finer purpose whatsoever.  WHY, GOD, WHY?

   9. When the peel on a fruit is stuck on so tight that it will not come off.  I hate this!  Because then you pull of the skin so hard that the sweet juicy fruit goodness comes with it, and ultimately you’re just left with a pulverized pulp that greatly resembles modern art.   I suppose there is some beauty in that.

    10. Clamshell packaging.  This is clearly the work of the devil.  It is IMPOSSIBLE to open up anything that is suctioned together in plastic like that.  This sadistic plastic casing is like an obstacle course that preys on my weaknesses as a product opener as well as my emotional stability. 

1   11.  Crumbs.  I really can’t stand being around old food; it is like ants crawling all over my body or something.

1   12.  When stores do not carry Parmesan goldfish.  Seriously, it is the superior flavor of all animal shaped crackers. Parmesan is the king! It should be everywhere.

1  13.  When lightbulbs burn out.  I don’t know about you, but I feel as if this happens to me at the most inconvenient times.

1  14. Buffering.  Also something that happens at the worst possible times, buffering makes any viewing party far more painful.  We live in the modern world, nobody has time for that thing called “patience”

1  15.  People that are only friends with me because I have a pool.  If you ignore me during the winter months, and then all the sudden summer hits and you wanna “hang out at my house,” I know something is up.  Can’t we just be friends all the time?

1 16.  Cats.  I like to meow, but all felines irk me.  It may be my extreme allergy to them.  Or perhaps I am just fortunate enough to have that as an excuse. 

1  17.  People who are mean. Make smiles instead of tears! Hugs not drugs.  Niceness, not ice-ness.  Poetry is not my forte.

    18. People who don’t pick up their dog’s poop.  I don’t want that on my lawn!

1   19. Waiting for the light to change to walk.  Statistically, one waits the longest at the crosswalk when they are carrying heavy things in unbearable weather circumstances. It is fact.

2   20.  Loosing only one earring or one sock.  What are you supposed to do after that? Throwing away its counterpart is a depressing reality

Love is All You Need

This summer, I worked as a mentor for middle school girls at a youth achievement program.  It was a really fun job, and I loved getting to know so many people! The job application process required us to write two essays describing why we wanted to work for the program.  I spent a lot of time on mine, and they are very personal to me.  For my blog post this week, (sorry, it has been a long time!) I combined and edited my essays.  I really wanted to share with everyone my personal struggle as a young girl, and the great things that came out of that. Like I said to my girls, "Life is like photography; you need the negatives to develop!" I know this week's entry is all touchy-feely, but it is my blog after all!  Here's to hoping everyone had as great of a summer as I did.

It is always said that middle school is a torturous time in a person’s life.  My adolescence was no different.  When I was in eighth grade, I felt completely and utterly lost. All of my friends essentially abandoned me, and my self-confidence spiraled into the ground.  My insecurity led me to view myself as the ultimate victim of misfortune. Negativity dominated my vocabulary; stupid, ugly, and pathetic were descriptive adjectives I frequently employed.   Pining for the half-hearted compliments of my peers, I equated pity with the love of real, mutual friendships because I could not discern the difference.  It took years to realize how flawed my thinking was, and how much more productive I could have been if I had chosen to adopt a more positive outlook on life, and on myself.   Struggling to maintain good relationships in middle school was excruciating, but it also made me extraordinarily thankful of the wonderful people I befriended in years following. I have experienced God’s love to me in the friendships I have now.  He is there in laughter and smiles, encouragements and compliments, and in the sincerities of true companionships. God rained blessings down upon me when He placed so many faithful, loving, and compassionate friends in my life.  I pray that the same gift of friendship I have received can also be afforded to others.

I think youth are particularly fearful of solitude.  While spending time in personal reflection and prayer is essential, so too is the love and affection we experience with others.  Young adolescents especially need to have a strong network of kind and loyal friends to help them navigate the difficult paths of school, peer pressure, relationships and transition.  In reality, building real and meaningful friendships does not come easily.  My relationships in middle school suffered because I was so invested in convincing people to like me that I forgot to be a present and caring friend. I blamed everyone else for my own shortcomings.  My parents gave me advice that undoubtedly changed my life for the better.  My dad suggested that I ask other people questions about themselves, and get to deeply know others as much as possible.  Focusing conversations on another person encouraged me to become more selfless and giving of myself, and thus strengthened all of my bonds. My mom recommended that I pray for the people that I felt had excluded me or rejected me as a friend. At times, it was challenging to ask God to bless those who had brought me pain, but I was astounded at how much peace and resolve I felt.  Little by little, my relationships with others began to assemble or reassemble.  When I finally let go of all of the reasons I felt betrayed or victimized, I saw all of the gifts God had bestowed upon me.  His love had been there all along, but I was blinded by my obstinacy. Now, I am so grateful for His presence in my life.

In reflecting on my previous experiences, I realize that life does not have to be so traumatic for all young people.  So often we accept that growing up is difficult, and therefore nothing can be done to ease this passage into adulthood. I truly believe that if we can learn to love and respect ourselves, even in environments where insecurity runs rampant, the world would shine a lot brighter.  I don’t know who is reading this, and I am deeply impressed you made it all the way to the end, but I want to inspire you to say a pray for the young ones.  Their every day rests in uncertainty and a desire for acceptance, but they forget how loved they truly are.  It is up to us to be an example for the generations following of confidence, positivity, and unconditional love.