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Minor Complaints

Corky Cummings


Okay, I really have a nice life. I am married to a
wonderful woman who is loved by everyone who knows her and has put up with me for 45 years. My kids and grandkids live close enough to enjoy but far enough to distance myself if needed. I live in a great location with terrific climate and anything wanted or required is in close proximity. One might think I would have no reason to complain; nevertheless, I compiled a short list of things that I could do without. These are not life altering situations but merely annoyances that seem to occur more than I would like.

First on my list is loud people in public places that have no regard for other people nearby. Why they think anyone around is interested in some meaningless information they want to share is beyond me. Whenever I encounter someone like this they always stay wherever I am longer than me. Sometimes it appears that I may get lucky and they are about to leave when a sudden unexplained magnetic force pulls them back and keeps them there. This is when I start wondering how many years you can be imprisoned for choking someone. Having these people in my life must be a payback for something I did when I was younger.

Another thing I absolutely “love” is being in line
behind someone in a store who needs assistance from multiple employees to check out. It could be any number of things causing the delay such as a credit card that is invalid, a supervisor being summoned for approval or an item that doesn’t have the price marked. I find it fascinating that the clerk sent to check a price can become lost in the store and take 30 minutes to return. You might think that the customer creating the problem would be somewhat remorseful during the wait but that isn’t usually the case. Obviously this is a common occurrence in their life and while everyone else’s blood pressure is skyrocketing, they remain calm and unconcerned. Meanwhile the people who were in the checkout lines that I did not select have gotten home and are eating dinner.

My final complaint (if anyone is still reading) is traffic tailgaters. People who live in lesser populated
areas may not understand this but in California where there are 40 million cars per square mile, it can be quite irritating. For some reason people here like to ride your bumper like you are the one holding up traffic. Forget the fact that cars are lined up 5 miles deep in front of you. That person immediately behind you wants you to take up every bit of that 3 foot gap you leave between the car in front of you so that he can arrive at his destination 8 seconds faster. I often wonder why people who tailgate don’t move to a place like Wyoming or Montana where the traffic probably moves a little quicker. I also dream about winning the Power Ball lottery but I’m fairly sure that neither will happen.