PUTTING UP WITH THINGS IS A BAD HABIT

I’m ashamed of myself. I put up with things that I shouldn’t. I always have. Don’t know where my tendency to do this came from, but I sure wish I’d get some backbone or some gumption – or whatever it takes to make a few changes.

First, I have a car seat cover that doesn’t fit well. I have put up with it for about a year now. Every time I get in the car, I have to give a mighty tug to center it on the driver’s seat of my car. Obviously I didn’t put it on correctly in the beginning, because there seems to be several loops of elastic that are just dangling instead of holding something down. I have just let them dangle because it looks like putting them around or under or between something is going to be a major job. So I just keep putting up with the scooting seat cover.

The next thing I put up with is a pair of dull scissors I use at my desk. They looked just like Fiskar scissors when I bought them. That was my first mistake, because they weren’t, which accounts for the good price I bought them at. Hence, the edges have dulled rapidly and there seems no reason to pay to have them sharpened. Probably cost more than they are worth. So instead of either doing that or buying a new pair of real Fiskar scissors, I just put up with what I’ve got.

I think you get the idea.

There is another class of things that I put up with because I can’t change. In that class you will find our new low-flush toilet which was installed by our apartment management company to save water but which now takes at least 4 flushes to clear. We put up with it because we have no recourse.

Along that same vein I put up with residents who walk their dogs along our lawn and don’t bother to pick up their poop. (They always do this at night when we can't see it happening.) Oh yes, the rules we all agree to when we sign our lease says that we must clean up any mess our dog makes on the lawn. But there are no poop police around here, and management shrugs their shoulders when asked why they let it happen. So we put up with it and get hunchback shoulders from looking down at our feet as we cross our lawn to get to the car.

And I’m sure you get the idea here too.

The final class of things that I put up with are things that I wish I could change but won’t. One of the minor things is getting rid of all country western music. I try. If on a phone call I get put on hold and hear CW music playing in my ear, I hang up and call back later. But it is a lost cause. I can't change it even if I wanted to.

The one biggie in this final class is putting up with AOL. I have been with them since 1997. They have caused more aggravation in my life over the years than I care to remember. And it just keeps getting worse. Let’s face it: AOL is now aimed almost exclusively at teenagers and I simply should bite the bullet and move on to gmail or some other respectable place to do my emailing. But here’s the catch: If you do a google-search on Bobby Dobbins Title you will find several thousand queries I have posted pertaining to my genealogical research, and I want people to be able to find me when they have a response. If I change from AOL, I’ll lose out. So it's to my benefit to put up with it.

Now that I've seen all my grumbling in black and white (or green and black if its on the blog), I should just go ahead and take care of the things I can change and stop whining about them. I'll tackle the scissors first. Leave the worst 'til last.