$pent Millennial

Dear Reader,

Life is annoying.

You are allowed to be annoyed.

Lately, it seems like everything is just extra annoying—or maybe it’s the swirl of Everything Everywhere All at Once that makes the small stuff feel more overwhelming. The day-to-day inconveniences pile up, and even the usual annoyances seem to have taken on a louder volume.

I don’t know about you, but lately? Annoyed feels like my baseline.

Here’s a small sampling from my week:

• Work never ends. I crossed one thing off my list and immediately remembered three other things I’m behind on—plus two more popped up. I have a looming deadline, and I’m feeling the pressure to work over the weekend… but I genuinely don’t have the time (or energy) to work on it this weekend, so… here we are.
  
• My Saturday was already full—and then got even fuller thanks to the ongoing saga of our broken on-site laundry machines. They’ve started damaging my clothes, so now I have to haul everything elsewhere. Luckily, my sister let me use hers while we hosted Budget Book Club (a win!). But I still had to cram the laundry trip into an already busy day. Which is still annoying.
  
• The grocery store parking lot was closed. I didn’t find out until I got there, which meant doubling back to another store and adding unnecessary time to an already time-consuming errand that nobody really wants to do in the first place on their weekend.
  
• My bike can’t stay in its usual spot. The property manager is clearing out the garage (supposedly), which means I’ve had to stash my bike in my car and shuffle it in and out just to fit in groceries and laundry.
  
• My dog is high-maintenance. Allergies. Hiccups. A constantly rotating cast of mysterious needs. I love him, but… come on.
  
• Oh, and I’m getting sick. That throat-scratchy, bone-tired, “no amount of wellness shots will save me” kind of sick. But even as I’m run-down and sniffly, the deadlines and errands aren’t taking a sick day, so… onward.
  

Most of the time, I try to wrap these notes up with a neat little takeaway. Something thoughtful. Something useful.

Not today.

Today, the only takeaway I have is this: Life is annoying. And you’re allowed to be annoyed.

I am.

So I’m going to pout. I’m going to sip my tea. And I’m going to watch Life After Lockup like it’s my job.

As always, thank you for having coffee with me.

Until next time, take care and be well—

Everett