These are a few of my least favorite things

 Is there something that just sets your nerves aflame?

We all have our pet peeves – things that annoy us and cause us to grit our teeth and clench our hands in tight fists.

One of my biggest complaints is people who ignore “fire lane” and “no parking” designations in shopping areas.

I was at a grocery store in Elizabethtown last week. The weather was rainy and blustery – not a pleasant day for walking across a parking lot to get to the store’s entrance.

As I approached the entryway, a car pulled up and the driver parked in a fire lane near the door. I had to walk around the car to get inside.

Now mind you, there was no handicap tag or license plate indicating the driver needed any special consideration, not that such a notice would have absolved him anyway.

The driver – an apparently able-bodied man, maybe in his 40s – got out and semi-jogged into the store. He grabbed a shopping cart and headed off. I was in the store about 25 minutes. When I came out, his vehicle was still where he left it and a few feet away was another driver-less car also parked in the fire lane.

I guess I didn’t see the little asterisk next to the “No parking –Fire Lane” notice. It must have said “No parking –Fire lane * except for (insert name here).”

Silly me! I thought when a sign or pavement marking said “no parking” it meant no one except emergency personnel responding to an actual emergency was to park there.

I clenched my teeth together, walked out and around said offender and made my way back to my car. I was chilled. I was damp from the rain. I was annoyed.

 People who send and/or receive texts while at a red light and who fail to watch for the light to change also get my fingers snapping against the steering wheel. While I commend them for not texting while actually driving – I hope – when the light goes from red to green and they are looking down at their device, oblivious to the fact it’s time to move, causing other drivers a delay, I consider it rude driving. Recently a driver in front of me was doing just that. I waited several seconds, then tapped my horn once. The driver gave me the finger, then zoomed through the now-yellow light and I had to wait another cycle to get the green. Grrrr.

Here’s another one. Chime in if you’re with me on this.

You’re in a store checkout. There are two or three people in front of you. You get closer to checking out. The person in front of you gets to the end of their order and realizes they’ve forgotten something. They tell the cashier they’ll be right back and dash back to get the forgotten item. And the rest of us have to wait. Sometimes it’s a quick return, sometimes not so fast.

OK. Here’s my last one – people who will not or believe they cannot – stop using their cellphone in a restaurant, checkout lane, drive-through or any number of other places. Yes, there are times when it’s a critical situation and communication must continue. But I have heard one side of conversations that: a.) I really didn’t need to hear; and b.) could have waited until later. I mean, really, do I need to hear that you’re thinking of making mashed potatoes instead of scalloped for dinner?

For me, it comes down to basic common courtesy. I like to make eye contact with and say “hello” to the cashier checking me out. I try to be a courteous and attentive driver, keeping things moving along as they should. I don’t give other drivers the finger if they beep at me for a real or perceived infraction. And I don’t park in the fire lane when I go to the grocery store.

Oh, hey – please put your shopping cart in a cart corral or return it to the front of the store. Thanks. I appreciate it.