The Art of Debugging

This morning while taking my walk around the local block I noticed a  few of the telephone poles were sporting stapled notices.  One was an invitation to a karaoke event. Later, I passed a note offering swimming lessons and another announcing a lost dog. Other than that the neighbourhood is well maintained. I am trying to overcome little things that 'bug' me, but I must confess, 'Do they really have to paste their ugly signs on public property?' If you have ever seen a pole that has hundreds of staples, well rusted staples, and scraps of previous notes hanging on it, you lose some respect for the 'hood.

Not being an entomologist I know very little about bugs. Mosquitoes and spiders on the boat being the exception! But, as a human being I know a lot about being bugged! In English the word "bug" has so many meanings, but the bug I am thinking of is being annoyed by actions or other people.  Being bugged is annoying because things don't always work out the way we want them to. 

Many of us get annoyed when the traffic builds up and slows down to a crawl, especially when you are running late. Or how about that long line in the bank; a skate lace breaks just before the game; your car won't start on a cold day or someone pixel-creeps up on you. That's when we start a sentence with the words, "It bugs me when...."

Google Images

On the other hand, there are times when people 'bug' us, sometimes even to the point of anger. This can get dangerous in personal and close relationships and I have to be careful not to overreact. For example, when others don't do what they are supposed to do, eat with their mouth open or are  critical of everything. Here comes Mr. Curmudgeon again!!

So part of trying to live in the here and now has got me thinking about how well I manage my daily dose of little 'bugs'. I realize I can do a lot better! Convincing myself it does not matter and trying to remain calm doesn't always work. I have even caught myself, when someone does not live up to my expectations, thinking,'What is that ass-hole doing now?'  Now that's really naughty of me.

What I am beginning to realize is that my  opinions are a reflexion of what I like or dislike, whether its people, groups, issues or food for example. So my attitude influences how I think about everything and determines how I behave. But, is not that the same for everyone? How they behave is probably determined by their likes and dislikes as well. Since it is not my obligation to change them, I have to learn not to wish things were different and retain my positive attitude towards growing old.

So there is no need to 'sweat the small stuff' and, as an existentialist might say, 'just allow being to 
be'.  So bugger off, bugs.

And that's Dick's View of the World this Week

Did you Know?
 According to recent research (EMarketer), last year in the United States marketers bought $19 billion worth of ads on phones and $32 billion on PCs. Just keep 'Xing them out!