Pet Peeves

Pet peeve: People interrupting me when I’m trying to say something.

Nothing so irritating as someone who interrupts you as if they know what you are going to say. They don’t. I going to start hanging up the phone or just walk off. Maybe they’ll figure it out? Conversation - a lost art!

Pet peeve: People who suck the joy of a story you tell them by not acknowledging what you tell them & launch into their story, which isn’t even remotely like your story. Or…they just hijack the story before you finish so they can talk. 

I just want to tell them: Do you actually listen to someone when they are talking?  Do you really? So, do you engage with them so that they feel you heard them? Or do you just listen long enough to interrupt them so you can take over & do all the talking?

Do you monopolized the conversation, throwing in “well”, “anyway”, “but”, anything to keep you talking & not let the other person speak? What? They aren’t that interesting to you? Or are you so vain you think only your story is worthy? Try asking them something about what they were saying to get them talking & get a real conversation going. Give & take & listen. Learn to be a listener!

Stop being a social vampire! You may think your interests are important - they are to you - but so is that person who came to talk or called you on the phone. Would it kill you to encourage them to talk? So what if you don’t find it interesting (or you don’t understand). Ever consider they aren’t interested in what you are rambling on about, but are more polite than you?

Be polite for once! Stop interrupting people! Listen to them. Share their joy, make it about their experience. You just might learn something & enjoy yourself.

Pet peeve: 

1. People who only call you when they want something.
2. People who dump your call for someone else - that they could call back!
3. People who expect you to come get them & expect you to meet them somewhere because they don’t want to go out of their way to pick you up. 
4. People who talk on their phones or text while you are out to lunch with them. You, apparently, are not as important as this random person. 

I like to take people out to lunch as a way of celebrating their birthday or to cheer them up. Apparently, I’m the only one who likes to do this amongst my “friends”. Only one of the 5 people I took out for a birthday lunch took me to lunch & even called me on my birthday this year. One sent a HB via FB. I’m saving my money this year & not bothering to bore them this year.