Here's a fun family activity that encourages group bonding: name each other's most annoying traits.
I might have been feeling a little stressed and exhausted this weekend because the list came easily:
Guinea Pig: Poop. All the time. All over the place.
Frog: Inability to control his excitement. We tried to introduce fish that were supposed to live happily with him, except he got too happy. He clouded the water in his excitement and killed them all. I thought I'd be safe introducing a zombie statue into his tank, but that got him equally as excited. Now he lives alone singing a love song and it makes us sad.
Chickens: We're in the honeymoon period so they are completely adorable and have no annoying traits.
Cassie: She is a golden doodle and princess and slightly neurotic. She barks at the ravens who mimic the chihuahuas who live behind us. It's a cacophony of annoyance not to be missed.
Elijah: Legos. They are everywhere. I threaten to sweep them up and I'm sure I have, but I know what will happen. Someday he will want to pay off his student loans from his philosophy and theater major and will come up with the brilliant idea to sell off all his Lego sets, except they all will be missing one piece. And I will know where all those one pieces are.
Sophie: Towels. Wet towels. In the middle of the floor. All floors. All rooms. At least she likes to bathe.
Hannah: Rubber bands. It's not enough to shell out $7000 for braces, you also have to live with tiny rubber bands on all open floor space not covered with towels or Legos.
Kirt: Gum. If I could live in Singapore where chewing gum is a $3000 fine, I think I would. I hate with a burning hate the sound of chomping gum. Seriously, if you are going to chew gum, then keep your mouth closed or just suck the flavor out and then spit it into a trash receptacle.
Me: Empty glasses, dental floss, and earplugs. How do people live with me? I carry a glass of water or cup of coffee around until I get distracted and then leave it. I make myself crazy. I won't even give any details about the dental floss and earplugs because I'm disgusted and they're mine.
Hannah clued me into a great insight about annoyances.
She used to come home from sleepovers and get very irritated with her siblings and I would tell her to take a nap. Her reply was, "Why do I have to take a nap, when they are the ones being annoying?" I would remind her that they are the same people we know and love all the time but you're too tired to be gracious.
Sometimes I need a nap.
I need to remember the power of naps because sometimes I burn my candle at both ends with a blowtorch in the middle.
Sometimes I just need to rest and remember how much I adore all those who surround me. Exhaustion and stress are not fertile places for grace and love.
It doesn't mean I will stop yelling about Legos, towels, or rubber bands. It doesn't mean I will stop putting in my earplugs when someone is chewing gum and leave them in some random place. But it does mean I'll keep all that stuff in perspective. Annoyances are such a small part of our relationships, don't give them more power than they should have.
Because I know once a relationship breaks down, all you're left with is the resentment and irritation. Then, everything makes you crazy and not even a nap will fix that.
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