Fun Stuff

Petty annoyances: how they can try one's soul

 

 One of the lessons life has taught me is, "don't sweat the small stuff."

It is a definite sign of maturity to learn that lesson, and it makes for a much more stress free life. 
If you haven't found that out yet, I pray you do.

But you know, some things are hard to get past, they're still a sore spot. 
For example, sheets and pillows. Have you tried buying new bed linen or pillows lately? A friend e-mail me quite some time ago asking, "do you know where I could buy some decent pillows?"
She came to the wrong place. 
First let's rule out the companies that charge ridiculous prices we common folk cannot spend on such things. We must save our cash flow for bigger purchase needs such as a new stove or medical co-pays. 

We are left with the regular retail market to choose from. From that particular place we all know and love or hate, through the stores that grace all shopping plazas and malls, then on to some higher end and respectable mail order catalogs; over the years I've tried them all. 
The results: poor. That's why my husband and I are still clinging to the same stained and shabby pillows we should have thrown out years ago. 
( I keep spraying them with disinfectant.) They fit the contours of our neck and we can't find anything that isn't so thick we are afraid of smothering or ruining our cervical spine. 

When it comes to sheets the biggest personal annoyance is those permanent creases. Even in higher end sheets, when I remove them from their packaging, the top sheet invariably has a deep crease where it shouldn't be, such as in the top hem. Even after washing it the only way to
smooth it out is by a hot steamy iron. That would be fine if you only had to do it one time, but those
creases have been there too long, they reappear after every wash and dry. 
I know, I know. You let that bother you? You cannot always choose what bothers you! When I put clean
sheets on the bed I want them to hang nicely on each side and smooth at the top, without hems that crumple up, and without ironing my sheets.  Is that too much to ask? Don't answer that.

And after all this time to develop patience it still annoys me no end when people ignore the huge sign that indicates the number of items you can have in the quick check out lane. Okay, a couple of items more, no need to be picky. We three customers behind her in line almost cheered the one time the check-out clerk had the boldness to direct a customer with a full cart to another lane. 

Of course now that going shopping means self-checkout lanes or buying on line, we all have plenty of opportunities to learn new maturity skills or develop more pet peeves.