Hey! Listen!

I hate repeating myself. Maybe it's because I was shy as a kid; just gathering the nerve to speak at all in most situations was hard enough, but speaking up only to be met with a "what," a "huh," a blank stare, or a complete lack of acknowledgement was even worse.

On a broader level, it's just that when I'm speaking to someone, I want to know that they're actually listening. Not uncommon. Everybody wants to be listened to, right? So it's understandable that I find it irritating to have to repeat myself after someone did not hear or did not listen to the thing I said five seconds ago.

The problem is, it goes a little further than that; I also don't like to repeat myself within the span of a couple days. If I tell one of my friends I'm busy on Friday and two days later they ask me what I'm doing this weekend, it bothers me that they don't remember that first weekend-referencing conversation. If on Tuesday one of my parents asks me when I'm working this week, then asks the same question again on Wednesday, it just... bothers me. I dislike people forgetting what I've said just as much as I dislike them not listening in the first place. I realize that's a little unreasonable and really hypocritical since I forget things and conversations all the time, but it still irritates me.

(This actually used to happen (as in, it doesn't any more) when both of my parents would independently ask the same question over a short period of time, as if I expected Dad to know I'm working at five when I already told Mom - and only Mom - that I was working at five. Ridiculous? Most definitely. But I think it's easy sometimes to (inadvertently) treat parents as one parental unit, rather than as two separate parents. I did it when I was younger, anyway. Is that weird?)

Whatever the reasons, I always get this twinge of irritation when I realize I have to repeat something I've just said. The thing about this pet peeve though, is that it's a personal thing. Like I said, everyone wants to be listened to, but people can't be blamed for getting distracted or forgetting things from time to time. It's not personal, it just happens. So while I'm sure some pet peeves are perfectly legitimate concerns, this particular one of mine is just... unreasonable. So rather than as a legitimate complaint, I choose to look at it as something to be overcome. I try not to let it bother me, and I try to convince myself it's no big deal whenever someone zones out on me, so hopefully, this pet peeve of mine will cease to bother me. Someday.

- Brad

PS: By my time it's still 11:57PM. I choose to look at this post as being three minutes early.