New year, new approach

After returning home from a walk yesterday, Jarmila asked me, "Well, who irritated you today?"

I had to giggle, because I do complain a lot about people's behavior here in Halle. But as luck would have it, yesterday was a good day - everyone seems to be gone on holiday, so there are less people on the streets and thus less irritants.

Most of the days my irritation can be traced to people's selfish and ignorant behavior towards others: cars cutting in front of each other, in the process endangering bicyclists; bicyclists on sidewalks endangering pedestrians; pedestrians refusing to give each other space; babies spitting up on dogs; dogs shitting on the street, particularly where I wish to step.

But I've decided that it's me who is in the wrong by expecting people to behave with courtesy and deference to one another.

Don't get me wrong, that's still how I'm going to treat others. But I'm just not going to expect that sort of behavior from them. My rationale is that bad behavior will no longer surprise me, and that nice behavior will please me all the more.

We'll see how it turns out...