One of the beautiful things about being in the second act of life is the having the wisdom, maturity and ability to let things roll off my back much easier than when I was young.  Not so fast. There are things I still find maddening. I may not react the way I did in my first act, but I still have a few bones to pick. What still drives you crazy? Do any of these things  ring true to your ears?  Of course, there are many bigger problems in the world and in life that I am not discounting, just irked but some of the smaller things. Let me know your thoughts in the comment section below.

1. Going to Multiple Grocery Stores. We live in a streamlined world where you can get everything online, FaceTime with relatives across the globe and get from one side of the country to the other in a few hours. Why with all of this at our fingertips do I still have to go to three different grocery stores to get everything on my list? Literally makes me want to go to Costco and buy 100 cans of beans and 10 pounds of rice and call it a day.
2. People Who Yell At Store Clerks. Seriously. I was at a department store in the luggage section. I had to wait in line because the woman at the front was losing her marbles over a return of an overnight bag. Apparently she had no receipt nor tags on the luggage. The woman went mental on the clerk as if he had burned her first born at the stake. Honestly, the poor guy had no control over the store policy. She needs a Xanax and a hobby.
3. Airplane Germs. Getting back to my first point, we live in a super techy world with every invention under the sun. Why is it that my seat has crumbs in it and my tray is filthy (and don’t get me started on the bathrooms)? Someone needs to invent a super suction vacuum and a special organic germ killer that can be dispensed in the short minutes between flights.
4. Friendships That End Without Explanation. I wax poetic about this constantly. If you are going to stop talking to me after years of friendship and I have no clue why, don’t leave me hanging. Write a note, an email, a text. For g-dsake just tell me WHY.  If it was so easy for you to dump me after all we shared, it should be equally as easy for you to give me a reason.
5. Folding Fitted Sheets. No explanation needed.
6. Little Insects When I Am In Bed. You had to wait until I was finally drowsy with the lights off and the doors locked to come at me with your humming or jumping or just flying across my book? Couldn’t you have bothered me all day long? I can’t even understand why these little buggers (swear I didn’t mean to be so clever) dance around my house at night. It was as if they know I have a hard time sleeping in my second act.
7. Splitting A Group Dinner Bill. Normally this is no big deal. However, there is always that one time when someone complains they didn’t drink, or someone else orders two bottles of $300 wine that they don’t share. I have dined with both sides of the spectrum and truthfully I would rather pick up the tab in the first case and hope that the fancy wine drinkers would pick up the tab in the second case. I just cannot deal with going out and having a great meal only for it to be ruined by someone being petty in the pay department.
8. Parking Meters That Require Change. I am so glad that most meters now take money from an App or credit cards. Every once in awhile I travel to a town where the meters still request quarters. Who has change anymore? Not me. I am always caught in the bitter cold scrounging in the bottom of my purse for a nickel or a quarter. Why can’t we all just be on the same parking page?
9. “My Life Is Perfect” People. You know who they are — their kids are perfect, their spouses are perfect, they have the perfect home, job and the perfect parents. I call bullshit on these people. I want to get in their face and have them tell me the truth. No one is perfect and everyone’s life has something so complicated and so deep and dark it probably scares them to bring it to the surface. People who are messy and honest are the best; they should teach a class to these pretend perfects.
10. Rotten Avocados. Why is there such a short sweet spot for an avocado? We all know now that I hate the grocery store, and the last thing I want to do is go back every day to get one avocado. It makes me crazy when they go bad so quickly. Trust me I have tried all the tricks, but still end up throwing some away each week.

Mimi Golub

Mimi L. Golub is the Co-Founder and Co-Editor of Living the Second Act, an online magazine for women in their 40s and 50s who are seeking the truth. Mimi has written for numerous publications including The Huffington Post. She is the author of the someday-to-be-published novel, Boxed In. Mimi is also the writer and a staff editor of From Our Kitchens, a nonprofit cookbook that was released in 2018. In her spare time, Mimi loves to workout, drink tequila, and volunteer with many local causes. She lives in Newton, MA, with her husband and has twin girls who have left the nest. You can find her former work on: tequilainbed.com

Follow Mimi on Twitter @mimigolub