One of the pet peeves that shows up for me is when cupboards are left open. Sometimes I can walk into the kitchen and see evidence of the four steps someone took in preparation for their lunch. Pantry for a can of refried beans... lower drawer for a microwaveable dish... upper shelf for a plate... silverware drawer for a fork. Fortunately the refrigerator gets closed. This is probably because early in Odhner history our son created a recorded tape loop that kicked in when the door was left ajar. 

"This is your milk talking. It is starting to get warm in here. Please close the door!"

He was eight at the time. Now he is a well paid engineer solving even more complex problems than sour milk. 

John was gone this week, with Benjamin. They attended a family church camp and the house was a tad emptier without them. Hope is in France, leaving only two people to bounce around a three story house. 

John drove home on Saturday and I sat down to hear about how the week had gone. Not surprisingly, there were good days for Ben and some rough ones. The afternoon before the talent show was the tipping point, as his anxiety around performance escalated. Years ago he looked forward to either singing a Disney tune, or telling people what day of the week their birthday will fall on, or factoring five digit numbers. Jokes are his go to lately, and he was planning to tell a few. 

"Why do fish swim in salt water?"

"Why, Ben?"

"Because if they swam in pepper they would sneeze."

But a new emotion has taken up residence in his psyche and it looks like talent shows are a thing of the past. 

I walked into the kitchen this morning and there was a cupboard door left open. But instead of being annoyed, I smiled. The men I love are home. The thing about pet peeves is, they are pets. You can feed them and keep them around, or you can open the door and let them go.