Gear-Grinders and Grin-Makers

On a light note--this is a late night post containing random thoughts--probably a little weird. :)

Are there some things that just "grind your gears???" I'm pretty easy going, painfully non-observant sometimes (daydreaming) but there are times that I realize something is annoying....such as: (this picture of the blueberries belongs to the second half of my post! not annoying at all!) :)

• Someone who knows all the answers---before you even finish your sentence. Have you ever started a sentence only to have the person you are talking with jump in with what they think is the rest of your sentence and what they think you should do about it? I usually then respond--well, "no--actually what I was telling you was...." (This makes me strive harder to be a better listener!)
• Children/husbands inability to throw away the food carton after they have taken the last cracker/cookie/chip etc. I think we have lots of snacks--yay!--but all the boxes are empty! This same affliction affects the children/husband when they unwrap any type of food. They are just unable to place the wrapper/box/cover in the trash.
• Dead/smushed animals on the road. This has always been really disturbing to me! I love Arkansas and Mississippi but I believe there are more dead animals on the road than living drivers! Shouldn't there be just a little bit of respect for that once-living being in removing it from the paths of 18-wheelers and giving it a proper disposal? One thing I noticed during the short time we lived in El Paso, Texas is that there were very few to NONE smushed animals! Many of the roads had concrete barriers separating the road from neighborhoods, animal habitats (mostly desert!) People's pets couldn't get out to a busy road and I don't think I ever saw a dead animal on a side road or in a neighborhood. It seems like where I live now they just are left there until they eventually become a part of the asphalt! Ok, I know that is gross, and no, I don't want to be the one to clean up the roads! But it is one of the few things that really bothers me!
• Gossip. I have a hard time deflecting gossip without sounding judgemental; but I think the worse is gossip in the name of prayer requests. I believe fully in answered prayer and also believe God will answer if we are praying for someone's needs even if we don't know every sordid detail. Have you ever heard something like this? "Y'all....we need to pray for Jan--ummmm....she just really needs it BAD.....her husband is threatening to leave her because of her spending habits and she's started drinking a lot....." (obviously a silly example, but you get the idea) I am NOT saying I have never gossipped--I am guilty. I sometimes grind my own gears!
• White lies. Well of course I detest lies, and I don't think I'm great at discerning when someone is telling me a big one! (EXCEPT for my kids!) But I am great at catching the little "white lies" and used to call people on it--but in my old age I have mellowed and just shake my head to myself--they know they aren't being truthful. For example: "I've been calling you over and over but could never get you!" (funny how some family members still think this works when we all have caller id and can check our missed calls on the cell phone)
• "No Problem" Why is it that everyone answers my "thank you" with "no problem" now? What happened to "You are welcome?" It's like they are implying that I was afraid I was being a problem by asking the server for a fork. Does this bother anyone else?? Do you ever just want to say "I KNOW it's no problem. It's your JOB. I wouldn't have asked you if it was actually a problem." (see I told you these are random and weird)
• The terms "Soda" and "Pop". I realize most people consider these appropriate terms for the soft drink. I consider Arkansas the South...but up here in the Northwest corner I hear a lot more people asking for a "soda" than a "coke." I realize "coke" is not the correct term for a Diet Dr. Pepper, but to me it is the right term. It's the initial request---indicating you would like a "soft drink"-- a "coke"; then by my Southern tradition you follow your initial request for a "coke" with the particular kind of coke you would like--such as a Sprite, Diet Dr. Pepper, etc. I know in my marketing world of "Branding" this is just wrong. But in my own world, it's the only way to ask for a carbonated drink!

Well--I will pause this list for now, until something else pops up that just grinds my gears....Instead I'd like to think about some of the simple things in life that bring joy! God gives us little pleasures that help us make it through all the big stuff that's not so pleasurable. I call these "Grin-Makers" --

• Dogs. Gosh I love dogs. And I loved that dogfood commercial about "We Love Dogs." (remember that? wish I had been the one to think of that!) Even though ours cause problems, often stink, often bark---they still are such precious personalities full of nothing but love for us! Isn't that the greatest feeling? I could be gone for a week and my kids have hardly noticed I'm gone but the dogs---Wow--it's like I drive up with beef gravy poured over me. They are so excited! We have a Basset Hound and a Chocolate Lab.
  The Basset just melts my heart and makes me laugh with her funny expressions and antics and the Lab is soooo loyal and actually does what you ask her to!
• When my children are funny---I remember when we were on a road trip when Savannah was barely old enough to talk. She must have been watching Nickelodeon earlier or something--out of nowhere she told a joke ..."Where do sheep get their hair cut?" "At the baaaaahhh==baahhhh shop!" We all just died--especially Maggie and Will. Several years later she was trying to get her dad to do something for her and very seriously said something about her "sparkling blue eyes" ..... We remind her of that once in a while! Will is something of a comedian and always has been---I love to laugh with my kids!
• Blueberries. I think they are the perfect fruit. I love the color, the taste, the look of blueberries. I just wish they were cheaper!
  
• Perfume. Scented Candles. Scented lotions. Great smelling hair spray. I think my sense of smell must be the strongest of my five senses. The right perfume can put me in a good mood all day! I don't even have a favorite-- I have lots of favorites. Perfume is not something I would buy for myself, so when someone else buys it for me I am delighted. I would love to leave an awesome smelling candle burning in my house all day every day..but don't because of the expense.
• A Cat's purr. That is something that automatically comforts me---it is such a warm sound of contentment, peacefulness. What a nice treat for us cat-lovers!
• Watching awesome creatures in my backyard--There is a big blue crane that flys around the little lake that is just fascinating! I can watch him trying to catch fish then when he takes off his wing span is huge. We have all kinds of birds, plus geese and ducks on the lake who have huge personalities. There is a hawk who I fear may get our cat or one of our bunnies....he/she normally just perches somewhere, but a man working on our property saw the hawk grab a wild rabbit and a black bird in the same day to feed her babies that are high up in a tree across from our mailbox! Maybe someday I will be a wildlife photographer....
• The voices of those I love. Have you ever noticed the shot of adrenaline you get when you answer the phone and it's that wonderful voice of one of your loved ones? Maybe it's because I was a broadcaster for so long, but voices are one of the first things I notice about people, and I think, one of the best things!

What grinds your gears?

What makes you grin?