Getting Older Part One: No longer sweating the small stuff

As I get older I'm finding things that once aggravated me to the point of being incensed no longer have the same head spinning effect on me. Things like:

• Inappropriate use of apostrophes


• Professional correspondence with obvious spelling errors


• Grammatical errors in general (printed or spoken)


• People playing loud music in cars with the windows rolled down


• Disruptive teenagers in public spaces


• People who wonder why other people don't do things exactly like they do


• Heavyset people wearing horizontal stripes


• Designers and manufacturers who produce clothing for heavyset people with horizontal stripes


• Panty lines, whale tails, or colored/printed underpants with see through pants or skirts.

My boss often says, "If people knew better, they'd do better." I've come to believe this. People and institutions don't do the things above to aggravate me, and make the world intentionally ugly and unhappy.

To be fair, there ARE things that continue to inspire irrational responses from me, like:

• Dog poo left in public spaces


• People who are rude to retail and restaurant employees


• Screaming children left unsoothed in public spaces.

You COULD say I was once a very uptight person who let minor issues take over her life. I would counter by saying I once had expectations that the world could be a harmonious and beautiful place. What I know now is that the world will never be perfect.

What is even better is knowing that I no longer "need" it be perfect in order to feel safe and at peace in my day-to-day life. Expecting, needing something to happen that is impossible is only a set-up for failure - mine and those of the people around me.

Ah, it is good to grow older.