People have unique quirks -- one of mine happens to be being O.C. ('anal' to many of you) about certain things. I try to go beyond them as much as I can. Having reached this fabulous age, I know when to give up, and when something is simply beyond my control... or boundaries. But there are those I really just couldn't pretend not to see, and these are the top five that I've been O.C. about since I was little:
1. Uneven lines, stacks, and random order of stuff. I pass a framed photo that's askew and I just have to straighten it. I have to stop myself from running up to the projector when the image flashed on the wall or screen is uneven. Asymmetrical hems and deliberate attempts at breaking lines for the sake of style I can take, but I have to double-check if plaid designs or stripes on clothes I buy are even and meet on both ends. I can be as anal about spacing and directions of how my pens & pencils are stacked, how my clothes hang in the closet, etc. But I live with 5 other people, so I've just learned to take deep breaths.
2. Loose or hanging thread. I just have to snip it or burn it with a lighter. I can't focus on a conversation when the one I'm with has a loose thread hanging from his/her shirt. Grrrr! My mom used to stop me from yanking at them, since that usually got the button or the entire hem off. Imagine how I controlled myself during the deconstructed fashion phase.
3. Finger prints. Especially on the computer monitor, cellphone, iPod, or TV screen. Or on someone's glasses. I just have to wipe them off, or knowing my place, of course, just imagine myself wiping them off.
4. Lists. -- ingredients in a recipe, notes, groceries, directories, playlists, document titles in my computer, etc. Perhaps connected to my straight line fixation. They have to be in a specific order, and either in all caps, all lower case, or all initial letters capitalized. Family name first, or not. Single space, or double. Just all the same, please. Oh, and one straight margin, too.
5. Mis-matched utensils. Somehow it's ok with plates and bowls, cups and their saucers, even glasses. There's something about mismatching those that's quaint and even stylish in a quirky way. But spoons and forks, chopsticks -- they have to be partners! I would gladly use just a fork or just a spoon, but not a mismatched spoon and fork.
There are others -- tooth paste tubes squeezed in the middle, bottle caps or covers left unscrewed or off. I've learned to look past those -- most of the time. Scabs, hangnails, a single stain on the shirt front. But those I have almost managed to control the urge to peel or wipe off. And, I've somehow gotten over color-coding stuff. Might sound like I'm bordering on clinical O.C.-ness, but that's me!
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