Judgmental Parents

One of my biggest pet peeves is folks that are always passing judgment on others.  Yes, we all have an opinion on how someone behaves and yes, we all have our thoughts on how someone dresses.  But it’s also up to us to determine whether to voice these opinions or not.   As they say, with age comes wisdom.  I honestly try my darndest not to judge people.  Of course thoughts may come into my head but I try to hold back the judgmental words that would have normally come out of my mouth years ago.  Because the reality is we have no idea what’s going on with someone that may explain why they behave the way that they do.  As mothers, we tend to be the BIGGEST judge and jury….fathers too! 

"Saving" Things

Lately I've been on this kick about living life to the fullest and maybe it's because of all the news I've been getting about colleagues and extended family members passing away.  But part of me does tend to be somewhat of a free spirit!  Every other month or so, I will get into this mood where all I want to do is hug my family tight and spoil them rotten because "tomorrow is not promised".  Then, I would hear my hubby say something like, "let me save this shirt or this pants for a special occasion".  And this just irks me!

Clothes are made to be worn, gift cards are made to be used, a bottle of wine is bought for someone to sip on, jewelry is made to be worn.  Why do people insist on "saving" things for a special occasion?  Look, the minute I buy a pair of shoes, I already know how soon I will wear them.  My grandmother left me a ton of jewelry, I wear them as often as I can.  Each birthday or for Christmas I get gift cards, I use them as soon as I can.  I have a bottle of wine, I pop it open and slowly sip on a glass to celebrate the little things.  Life is meant to be celebrated.  It's too short and uncertain to "save" things.  Do you know how many stories I've heard about people who saved something and never got the opportunity to enjoy it because they either died, they're gift card/wallet was stolen, they're house got broken into and jewelry was stolen?  People, live your lives and enjoy your things because that's all that they are, THINGS!  We didn't come into this world with them and we can't take them with us into the grave.  So just LIVE!

Complain, Complain, Complain!

In an economy like this, that last thing I want to hear anyone do at work is complain! There are so many folks out of work, dying for that employer to call them back and say, “You’ve got the job”. Yet as I go to work every day, all I hear are the people around me complaining. After being out of work for about 4 months in 2006, I have learned to cherish each day on the job. No matter where you work, no matter what you do, you’re always going to come across someone that is always complaining and never satisfied. They will complain about the boss, other office workers, about the work (too much), clients, etc. My usual response is “tell it to the folks who are at home on the computer applying to job after job every day, to no avail”.  Yes, there are things that I don’t like about my job and yes, there are people that I don’t like at my job, but what good will it do me to complain constantly? I have learned to push forward and complete the irritable tasks so that I can remove them from my daily task list. And I’ve learned the art of ignoring ignorant people at work. I’m only at work for 7 hours so I try not to bring any of the aggravation home with me. I deal with what I need to in the office and when I go home, it’s all about my family. Folks need to learn to be grateful for what they've got (a j-o-b) before it's gone.

Keep Your Germs

One of my biggest pet peeve about the office environment is germs. I’m a firm believer that if you’re sick, then you should stay home. What good can come from you spreading your germs throughout the office? If you have things that need to be done, then find some way to work from home. Sickness is the whole reason for having sick days. It’s unfair and inconsiderate to expose the office staff to germs especially when you don’t know their situations. For example, I’m a mom of two small children. The last thing I want to do is to catch a cold and then bring it home to my little ones and hubby. If my kids gave me a cold, I’m going to stay home with my germs until I can get better. But sometimes you have office staff that might be more susceptible or they have family members that might be more susceptible to the germs brought home, like the elderly or newborn babies. I know some folks will probably roll their eyes at this but don’t take offense when someone shows up to staff meeting with a face mask on and Lysol in hand. Honestly, it’s hard enough to get myself and two kids out of the house much less to deal with them when I have a cold, so if possible, I would rather just avoid the illness all together. I think a lot of people do it for sympathy and because they fall into that hero syndrome. “See how much of a great worker I am, I came in even though I’m knocking on death’s door”. Uh uh….you might fall through death’s door if you don’t sit down and rest up. So the next time you’re sick and you decide that you want to be a hero and head to the office, think again. You might not get the warmest welcome from the office staff.