Pet Peeves -- Susan Watkins

(Reflection on Topic of Choice)

Pet peeves interest me because I wonder what purpose they really serve. The thought came to mind because one of my pet peeves just occurred-- there was someone revving their car engine really loud as he or she drove up every single floor of the parking garage right outside my room. People seem to think this is a really good idea and it just happens to be something that I absolutely, hands-down hate. Every time I hear it, I literally tense up and get really irritated. Then I say to myself, "Susan. Chill. What is the big deal?" I couldn't tell you what the big deal is, but the truth is that it absolutely drives me nuts.

I was watching a video the other night (the same video I quoted in an earlier post, the "Nooma -- Store" video by Rob bell) and he said something that was so simply yet still touched me for some reason. He was talking about how he saw this guy get really angry about a small incident and said offhandedly, "... as if it even mattered, ...." That one little phrase has just been stuck in my head ever since then. The past few days, those instances which have upset or frustrated me have been met in my head by this little voice saying, "Susan, as if it even mattered." And I find that all that frustration and irritation just kind of falls flat.

Now, clearly, there are things which anger us that do in fact matter, and I'm not suggesting we ignore those. But I do wonder how much frustration we could let go of by simply remembering, "In the grand scheme of things, that doesn't even matter." Pet peeves, for example. Why do they happen? I'm not sure, but there are surely better ways to cope with them then my natural reaction-- wanting to open my window and scream obscene things into the parking garage.