I like to consider myself quite an objective person. My emotions are not easily stirred by trivial things. Well, that is in most circumstances. You see, as an objective individual I DO get annoyed by the big things, when it comes to morality or politics I have my lines drawn and if you cross them I will argue my point until you’re a jelly like wreck tucked in a corner begging for your mother. I will respect your opinion. I will just argue mine fervently.
But every now and then, regular folk can do things that just really wind me up. It’s an inexplicable sensation that overcomes me. Not so much one of tutting minor inconvenience but one of summoning the vengeance and ire of the universe to rain down unholy hell fire on people. This does not happen often; and it is always for the silliest, least important things.
For example, one thing that gets me EVERY DAMN TIME. When you approaching a road crossing that is at a junction, as a pedestrian. A car is coming your way so you decide to wait, always hoping, usually in vain, that the driver will let you cross. When they don’t, they pull up at the junction and you’re always left in a quandary. Do you attempt to cross the road now, and walk around the car? Or do you wait for the car to go? While you’re thinking of an answer to this small question a few seconds pass, and, just as you have made your mind up to cross, you walk around the length of the car and just as you are round it’s back end, breathing in noxious exhaust fumes, the driver pulls away; leaving you a few short steps away from your optimum line of crossing the road. For them it’s nothing! They’re in an automobile, that back end of their car is irrelevant. But to you it means two things; one, energy expended for NO reason. Yes, it might only be a few steps, but it’s a few pointless steps that need not have been taken. but two, and this is the most important one, you have to walk DIRECTLY into their barrage of exhaust fumes, polluting your lungs with their gaseous emissions. If they are going to subject you to this, the least courtesy they could provide you is waiting at the junction until you have crossed the road so you don’t feel like it has been entirely pointless. Those are steps you could be using to do productive things like…I don’t know…Walking to feed the homeless or, helping an elderly lady cross the road. Instead they’re spent dawdling around the length of Captain McSmallDick’s massive vehicle only to find that, when at the furthest point away from where you wanted to be, said vehicular obstacle is removed! It’s ridiculous. Every junction should have a bloody zebra crossing or something to prevent idiots like me getting annoyed about small things like this! Plus, it would just make the world a nicer place; particularly for people like me who, despite being able to drive, choose to be pedestrians because they’re not lazy and have a conscience that makes them worry about pollution. Grrr!
But this is my point; that is such a small thing. Such a tiny irritation. It is something that if I were in a vaguely good mood I probably wouldn’t even notice. But I have noticed it and since noticing it I continue to notice it and I just cannot help but be annoyed by it.
There is one more anecdote of minor irritants, but this one had a good reason. I was late. I was already late thanks to a delayed train (i.e. not my bloody fault) and I managed to jump a bus that would have got me to my intended destination JUST on time. That was until two obviously quite well off idiots decided to get on the bus. And each. Yes EACH wanted to pay their paltry fare with a £20 note! I’m not sure what buses are like where you are, but where I was they didn’t tend to carry buckets of small change to service idiots like these and thus, the driver rightly told them he hadn’t enough change. For one thing, these two knew each other, so why didn’t one offer to pay for the others fare out of his money and, if he’s that much of a miser he can’t spare a few quid, he could have been remunerated at a later time or date that was more convenient. The other thing, however is the incredibly irritating behaviour of the driver who WAITED while these two court jesters went into a nearby shop to buy something to get change….HE WAITED! He delayed the bus because two people who should have known the driver wouldn’t have change tried to pay a very small fare with the 2nd largest denomination bank note in circulation in British currency. I was late, as were, no doubt, many others on the bus and that kind of behaviour annoys me. What is more annoying was the bus journey for me was around about 45 minutes but they were only going around the bloody corner. They could have walked it, the lazy shits, but they chose to attempt to get on the bus I had no option but to be on due to an already delayed train and they may as well have been trying to pay in bloody gold bullion! JUST WALK YOU LAZY BASTARDS! WALK! It’ll do you good! ARGH!
But I take a lesson out of all this. I know I can often find myself in situations where I consider someone else’s behaviour an inconvenience, but if I feel that minor inconvenience then it lets me know one important thing. I am OK. If I have enough sense about me to be irritated by the small things, then it shows I have a brain capable of processing them, a body capable of being annoyed with them, and thus, a life that is OK. Some people say “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” But I find if you’re not sweating the small stuff, you probably have bigger things on your mind and that is probably a lot more unhealthy. So I shall continue getting irritated by minor inconveniences, and I will continue enjoying portraying them to people in a way that is much exaggerated and littered with hyperbole so as to make them vaguely humourous to people. because while I do, I know I’ve got my health and that’s all that really, truly matters.
And so long as I have my health, I shall also be busy fighting for peace, justice, equality and most of all, love. Because as much as I get annoyed by these things, I love having things to complain about. I complain about them in such a way as to make people laugh and laughter is, truly, the music of love.
That said, if you’re happier not moaning about little things, that’s fine too. So long as you have your health you’re capable to think and feel what you like. I’ll always continue getting annoyed about stupid little things for you.
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