You know you are really growing up when you make a conscious effort to be accountable for your actions with consistency, and also when you pray and hope to become more patient and tolerant. While this is all fine and good, do you ever really miss the feisty, judgmental, highly opinionated side of yourself?

I certainly do. Seriously, who is this new version of myself, who tries to be nice and kind most of the time, even when on the phone with a terribly incompetent customer service representative? Or, who really makes an effort not to snap at a friend who makes ridiculous comments or who is being a bit obnoxious?

Tonight, in a quick throwback to my old self, something really irritated me, which then led me down the path of thinking about the things that really annoy me. You know, the things that are irritating about other people in general, but really, really irritating when committed by people you know well!

So, to get past this, it seemed helpful to list five pet peeves. Perhaps putting them down on paper (well, sort of) would be some kind of release of them.

So, in no particular order, here are five of my pet peeves:

1. Sentences that end with the word at

   Where do you work at? Where do you live at? Where did you go to school at? When someone asks me questions that end in at, I truly shudder but hope not to show it. Yes, we all, on occasion, make grammatical errors, but this one is unacceptable. Well, there is one exception: Beck's "Where It's At."

2. Eating etiquette felonies

   Okay, who hasn't crammed in a mouthful of food when in a rush, secretly had a sip from their soup bowl in the privacy of their own home when nobody was looking, or occasionally slurped from their straw? These are certainly great habits to develop. But, those pale in comparison to the two eating felonies in my book of pet peeves: eating with your mouth open and eating while talking on the phone. Both drive me nuts! Absolutely bonkers!

3. Judgmental police

   So, this one is tricky. But, it seems in my judgment that people are sometimes quick to label you as judgmental simply when they do not want to hear what you have to say. Or when they do not agree with what you have to say. Yes, I strive not to go around proclaiming this or that from my high horse, BUT I am comfortable taking a stand on certain issues and trying to do so with respect.

   What I do not like is the lame "Stop being judgmental" as a way for someone else to try to quiet me. Let's face it. Whether we like it or not, we are ALL judgmental at times. Heck, isn't the naming of pet peeves judgmental by its very nature?

   Within reason, the act of stating our convictions and labeling them as our beliefs is not necessarily the same as being judgmental.

4. Thanks-not-documented

   Thank-you notes seem to be a dying art form. However, it's important to remember to thank those who go above and beyond. Have you ever had supposedly close friends who fail to write you a thank-you note for a wedding gift? Puh-lease! This is a blatant act of tackiness. Seriously. And, yes, that IS judgmental on my part!

5. Drivers who make their own rules

   Nothing makes me quite so impusively peeved as when a car zooms up to the front of a lane that is obviously about to end, and then puts on the blinker to cut in line. Perhaps I should not let this type of thing get to me so much. After all, there is some form of entertainment in tailing the car in front of me as closely as possible to avoid letting cars like that over. And, screaming profanities in the car is a form of tension release. So maybe it's not so bad after all?

   Rude drivers basically feel that their time is more valuable than theirs, and that it is their right to drive however they want to get where they need to go. If only we as citizens could somehow ticket these inconsiderate people!

Well, for now, I am about pet-peeved out. Thank goodness! And, my mental state is much calmer than just 20 minutes ago. In fact, it's calm enough for me to admit that I am probably at times guilty of committing some of my own pet peeves, and definitely guilty of committing some of yours. So, it's best I go back to focusing on more patience and tolerance!