I once asked my husband if I came across as someone that thinks they are better than others...he paused. Yes, paused, WTH was that about?! Well, if he didn't agree you know darn well his silly self would have said "oh no, honey, you're just self-assured." But not only did he pause, he proceeded to say "Yeah, pretty much, but it's okay, you're just particular." Wow, particular? I don't about you, but I would say that's a great vocabulary word for "picky."
Now this really should not come as a surprise since my Grammy and Grandpa G used to call me Picky Nikki - no lie and sometimes it was Nickle Pickle (hmm, this must be where I get my love of rhyming, but that's another story for another time). If I wasn't picky, as in particular about what I ate or wore, I was picky in the respect that I "picked" at others. If you had lint on your shirt, a hair out of place or a boogie hanging from your nose, I'd be the first to bring it to your attention. Lucky for me I saved this not so redeeming character trait for my family members - good thing or I'd probably never have had a damn friend throughout my childhood!
I'd like to think that this "picking" was because I was becoming a detail oriented person, something that would be necessary in my future profession as a hairstylist (yes, that was my major career goal from the 6th grade on). But why did that lint on your shirt or that "bat in the cave (my absolute favorite reference to boogies in the nose) bother me so much? And even worse, why did I feel that persistent need to share it? And even better, let's wonder why I didn't turn this constant "picking" onto myself. I promise you that if I had I would have been a textbook case of OCD, taking perfection to a whole new level.
So fast forward 30+ years - do I really think that I am better than others? Hmm, no...but I would like to see others step up and live/work to his or her full-potential. Is that wrong? I'll be honest with you: the poor choices of others, laziness in general and disrespect towards others drive me NUTS. But who am I to judge if you've chosen to wear your pj's to Walmart (another place that I despise, but I will not waste key strokes on that nonsensical place), or you come to work unprepared and disorganized? If your nonsense doesn't affect me, why do I care?
I'll be honest, my best guess is this: if I focus on your issues, I can ignore my own. So it's time to change (yes, I am hearing Peter Brady singing in his puberty stricken voice) my friends, time to focus on making the best ME - not just for me, but for my family. Because a better me will share, not pick. A better, kinder me will exude positivity (how's that for some sappy nonsense?) and it will be contagious. People will be singing from the rooftops, smiling at strangers, completing random acts of kindness like there is no tomorrow...Okay, now I'm just cracking myself up, because I am a realist and while I can work on not being so "picky," I don't think that I'm ready for that much change...not only do I not have the motivation to become Polly Positive 100% of the time, but I kind of like ME - picky, judgmental, sassy and witty.
But I can work on keeping some of my comments to myself. I am sure that dropping my "picking" habit will not be easy, nor will it be fun. I mean, when I see someone with dragon talons for toenails, kicking it in flip flops, I will literally have to bite my tongue to NOT share this nonsense with someone, ...seriously, that's some funny stuff and how can I not share it? Damn, this is going to be harder than I thought...
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