BAD HABITS

By Johanne James

Hi all and how are you?

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. Bad habits, and I don’t mean those the monks wear.
You know, those idiosyncrasies that can end a relationship? They take time to fester and fester they do, building and building until one day, you snap! I take it we all have them. Mine, well, I would leave the baked beans in the tin and put them in the fridge instead of finding a container which is far more hygienic. I don’t like mess and certain people I know can be very messy indeed hence I try and tidy up wherever I have left a mess. Leave a place as you would like to find it, so the saying goes or at least make an attempt to do so. But if you don’t mind mess then my guess is you’ll leave it as you like to find it! AGGHHHH!!!

Do you leave the top off the toothpaste?
Do you not flush the toilet after use? I have seen signs saying please flush after use! I thought that would have been second nature to do so, but you can’t legislate for those who don’t have the sense to do so. Do you put the empty juice container back in the fridge? A pointless exercise indeed. There are all sorts of niggles that can make one’s blood boil. We must try and double think that what we do may be offensive to others and most annoying to the point where animosity reigns! Ouch. “It was only an empty carton, what’s the problem”. If you have ever house shared, has anyone of your house mates come home drunk and eaten the meal that you had prepared for that day? Yes, well I have and I wanted to exterminate him and when I confronted him about it, he couldn’t even remember what he’d done. Stupid boy! But what one may find irritating another may find endearing. Go figure, “Oh, isn’t that cute” You what, he’s just, oh forget it!

Wherever I go I always try and be the perfect house guest.
It’s as though I was never there and in some cases I truly wish I wasn’t. As you know doing what I do I can meet a lot of people and especially on a tour bus when you come across someone who can truly rub you up the wrong way so to speak, and you now have to spend the next 2 to 3 weeks sharing a space that’s barely big enough to swing a cat. I mean, I wouldn’t swing a cat as that’s really quite cruel and plus the Vegan & Drum Rescue Service would never speak to me again, her being a cat lover and all. Not that she has a cat as a lover, but I think you know what I mean. Or am I digging a hole for myself, in which case I do apologize. But for those of you who are of that purrr suation, that could be a subject matter for my next column? Or maybe not? Anyway, I digress. The truth is that we all have quirks that can and will annoy others and the best we can do is minimise the fallout by being mindful. You know, double think and ask yourself, “would I like that? Hell no, I wouldn’t! Best not do it then!”. Is it that difficult being mindful? It does take practice and one is perfect but strives for perfection. So one can only ever be a mindful practitioner so to speak. In not being mindful, the only other suggestion I can make is to live on your own and that way you will only ever annoy yourself, and if your personality is such, then you will start a fight in an empty house with your own shadow. In which case, I wish you and your shadow the best of luck!

Thanks for listening and I do hope I didn’t annoy any of you.

Johanne James