Pet Peeves

When we first got married, I had a list of them my husband did. Some people talk about either the toothpaste or toilet paper or toilet seat driving them nuts. Mine were the paper trails left all over my neat and tidy home, the dirty laundry being left on the floor right by the hamper, the doors being left unlocked at night time and the shutters either being shut or open during the wrong part of the day. Of course, I do absolutely nothing in return to drive him batty!

I spent years nagging my husband about these things. Although, when he did occasionally have to go out of town for business, I noticed something.  I loved how clean my house would stay (before kids of course). But I missed him. I told him when he came home that I would much rather have him and the mess than not have him at all. A few days would go by and I would get irritated again about something.

Then I read a marriage book, I am not sure which one it was because I read a lot of them. It challenged the readers to let go of just one insignificant bad habit our husbands have. Just decide in our heart and mind that we are not going to allow that to bother us anymore. Start there, then after you have conquered that one, move on to something else you can let go of until you have nothing left to get under your skin about.

I tried it and it worked! Does my husband still do most of those things most of the time? Yes but I can honestly tell you that I hardly notice them anymore. Maybe it’s because I have two more little mess makers now to clean up after as well. I just don’t have the mental or emotional energy to get upset about silly little things anymore.

 I also decided that those are not things I want to focus on for the next 50 plus years that we are going to be married.  I am not going to waste my time on things that don’t matter. And you know what, we are both much happier because of it.

On a daily basis, I can choose to let go of pet peeves.