Everyday Canvas

Habits and Annoyances

A habit is a routine behavior, fixed into action, thinking, or speech. By the person exhibiting it, this behavior is usually unnoticed, but the others around her or him do.

Over the years, I learned not to be annoyed by much, so I can easily say that others’ habits or mine I take in stride, more often than not. Of the habits in speech that used to annoy me was the overuse of meaningless phrases. One of those came into being after the Watergate hearings, “At this point in time.” So redundant and so silly. What is wrong with the word “now”?

The other one was when people used “you know” at the end of every sentence. Each time that phrase is said, I felt like answering, “No, I don’t know.” Thanks to time’s passage, that too is becoming buried in history.

I think such language habits are catching. One person starts using it and the copycats refer to it when in doubt or say it just for the fun of giving the impression of being chic.

The personal habits some people do--biting nails, picking nose etc.—are gross and should only be done in private, if ever. Still these don’t annoy me as I consider them personality faults or sicknesses and I just look away.

Rather than thinking about annoying habits, I like to concentrate on the positive ones, such as writing every day, treating people with kindness, showing gratitude for what life offers, speaking well of others, and avoiding to make excuses for one’s own shortcomings.

In short, I try focusing on what is positive. Negatives usually die out, anyway.

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Prompt: Annoying Habits: yours, a loved one's or just one that drives you bonkers.