Gotta Pet Peeve?

Dear Why Team member,


Gotta Pet Peeve?


Why do we call them pet peeves?  Could it be that we care for them, feed them, like a pet?!  Why?

I have one that I feed.  When I enter or exit a business establishment that has double doors, usually glass doors, I often find that one is not unlocked.  You know the drill, you push or pull on the locked one and I guess the business establishment knows that through the process of elimination, their customers will try the other door to discover it unlocked.  Now, the only reason that I can imagine where a business would make it more challenging for customers to enter or to exit comes down to the person responsible for opening the store for business in the morning and/or closing it at night. One door is certainly faster and easier to unlock, to unlatch.  For my part, I have fun laboring with the locked door, should I be lucky enough to choose it first.  Having a flair for the dramatic, I have pushed and pulled with the locked door as if I am locked in or locked out.  I have yet to do this to the point of waving down an employee inside, but the thought has now crossed my mind.  It's a pet peeve I obviously enjoy feeding.  It really is just more for fun, but I find it interesting that I do it at all.  I would like to think these encounters with locked doors do not matter, but clearly I have chosen a self righteous position concerning WHY just one door is unlocked and not both.
 
Consider your pet peeves, are they fun for you, entertaining, or do they do more to upset your peace?  If they're upsetting, why keep feeding them?  Does the irritation sometimes linger and irritate your entire day?
 
Maybe I could allow the locked door to remind me to accept things as they are, rather than choose the self righteous position that I know what's best.  
 
Consider your pet peeves and the next time they arise, ask yourself why you feed them. Who knows, maybe I'll eventually enter a business establishment that kept one door locked and I won't think twice about it.  But I doubt it - it's just too fun. 
 
Consider maybe only feeding your favorite pet peeves and letting go of the rest.  Life is too short to not have fun! 
 
May all your doors open freely this week…and if not, try another one, a door WILL eventually open.

Make it a great week!

Steve Luckenbach