Does this bug you?

Years ago I believe the ministerial here in Scott City decided to clean up the right of way through town. Every so often we would meet as a body of believers and pick up trash. Didn't take but half a day at the most, and it was enjoyable. When one begins to pick up trash along some road, it makes one more aware of others who show no regard to dumping trash or chucking trash out the windows.

Now don't get me wrong, because I've lost a paper or two out of my boat or trailer or even when it blows out the window accidently, but I don't know if I have ever purposely thrown trash out the window. Just wrong to do. Disgusts me when I see a bag from some fast food place thrown out on the road. Makes me wonder what kind of person would purposely throw it out. I also have seen diapers thrown out along the road. Disgusting. Or tires or furniture or bags of trash. One thing for sure, if I should see it happen, I wouldn't even hesitate turning the person in. It's wrong.

But there are a lot of things wrong in our world. Some are personal things that probably only bother me, but there are society problems that affect all of us. Some should really bother us.

Bugs me when kids show a total disregard for their parents or disrespect their parents. Somehow something went wrong as they were growing up. My first thought is the parents didn't raise them right. But on the other hand I've been around parents with kids who behaved like little angels. I'm sure they had their times, but while they were around me, they behaved and acted right. One who comes to mind brought their two daughters to the market the other day. Both girls were well behaved and minded and were courteous. The mother should be proud of them.

Bothers me when I see someone walking their dog on a 90-degree day and they are on pavement. Man it's hard telling how hot that pavement is, but it's hot enough to hurt the dog's feet. Best time of the day to walk your dog if it's on pavement is early in the morning after it's cooled down during the night. It might be cool enough in the evening, but I have my doubts. Bend over and put your hand on the pavement. Check it out.

Bugs me when people don't silence their phones at some meeting or get-together. One thing I can honestly say is there has not been a single time at the church we attend in Commerce where a cell phone has interrupted the service. But then there is no cell service in the church! What Marge and I normally do is either silence our phones before we go in or simply lock them in the car. Lots of times I silence my phone at restaurants and such. I think it's just courteous to do so.

There is one restaurant in Cape that has free peanuts while you wait, and it's kind of a tradition to toss the hulls on the floor. I have a hard time tossing them on the floor. While I was going to school we cleaned a bank and a fairly large church. Cleaning will sure make one aware of how disrespectful people are. From gum wrappers and Kleenex to just trash, we have found it on the floor. Also found gum and chewing tobacco in the urinals. Disgusting. Don't people realize that someone has to dig it out and clean them? I noticed that there is gum in the porta potty urinal here in Scott City. Sooner or later, someone has to dig it out. I've thought about taking a couple of my latex gloves and digging it out. May do that!

Kind of amazing and scary and bothersome how just a little knowledge can turn anyone into an expert. It doesn't even take a lot of training and knowledge before they know it all. But the more they study and train, they come to the place they realize how little they really know. Many of us are on this journey. One thing for sure, none of us will know it all. We might think we do, but we really don't.

Kind of bugs me that almost no one reads the directions that come with whatever. We recently bought a pellet smoker, and it came with a set of instructions. And as a general rule this set of instructions is pretty decent. All one has to do is read the instructions. After getting the smoker, I joined a Facebook group to kind of learn more and for support if needed. It is amazing how many assemble their smoker and immediately fire it up without even glancing at the instructions. Some end up with extra pieces while others end up with the pieces in the wrong place. One thing for sure, if it doesn't work, then we probably need to read the instructions.

Far too often, and I'm guilty of this as well, is we allow those things that bug us or irritate us to affect how we relate to those around us. We let these irritations or "bug bites" to put us in an irritated, grumpy, blaming mood. Rather than just letting the irritations roll off, we let them in and they fester and infect us. Kind of like the dad-gum gnats we have all had to fight this spring. We let a myriad of little irritations add up and pretty quick we are in one foul mood. I think we need to recognize these irritations as irritations and not real earth-shattering events. In the case of some events I might try to help the situation, but more than likely I'm better off walking away and leaving it alone. Somehow we have to deal with these little irritations and not let them grow and join hands and really upset us.

Years ago I was reading a book by Foster, and he wrote how he noticed how the morning newspaper upset him when he read it. All the negative stories and news items just upset him personally. He decided he'd quit reading the newspaper. For some of us this might be Facebook. Might even be that one friend. Might be politics. Might be an unfinished task that seems to stare at us day after day. Once we realize what is bothering us or upsetting us we need to make some changes.

Make it a goal to deal with just one irritation today, just one. At the end of the day you can look back and see victory. Just one. If you need some help, get help. Talk to a friend or a pastor or a counselor. Get a dog or a cat. Plant some flowers. Make a garden. See your doctor. It's not the end of the world if you need to be on some type of medication. I guess what I'm saying is deal with the issues rather than letting them build.