It’s a bitterly cold night with blustery rain. The sort where you have fantasies of going home and lighting a fire, making soup, soaking in a hot bath… or just curling up on the sofa with a packet of tim tams and a cup of tea. But I didn’t cancel.

Like a good girl I conscientiously kept my appointment with the optometrist. They’ve been writing “conscientious” on my report card since I was five. How annoying.

So I was there in body, just. It was steamy as a swedish sauna. As we flicked between screens, “one or two?”, I struggled to care which was better. They all looked a bit “same, same”. I was tired. Huh what? I dozed off. Well my brain did.

The optometrist was a bit attitude-y but I was hard work. I probably should have cancelled but I didn’t dare. I didn’t even want to book it but I had to. I hate medical appointments but this week I’ve done the GP visit and the optometrist. Because I really do need to see and breathe through my nose. I am working up to a dental appointment because chewing is important too.

So what’s all this about? It’s about reducing tolerances. Ok, I know that sounds wrong. It sounds like I’m suggesting becoming intolerant. But I’m not, although that could often describe my moods lately.

I realised that there are a lot of things I simply “put up with”. Small daily irritants build up. Simple things are difficult. It’s time to sort them out. In the short-term that paradoxically means tolerating more irritation.

What do you “put up with” that you really need to fix or deal with? Could you just “get it done”?

Ok, let me give you another example. I’m still not used to my current work computer systems. A lot of things that are usually easy are difficult here. A few days ago I finally asked the IT guy to help me sort out a list. Not big things but they were daily irritants.

I’ve been doing workarounds. My computer speed was glacial. I couldn’t attach an open document directly to an email or use hyperlinks in websites. I had unfiltered group emails clogging my inbox but still needed some of them.

Riveting stuff. Much like the eye tests, it doesn’t thrill me. And I speak a different language to IT experts. I struggle to phrase a question in IT Speak. Often we annoy each other. But we persevered and no one died. It was worth it! Several everyday processes are now easier. I am building another short list.

Are you tolerating little things on a daily basis? Could you make a list and commit to sorting them out, even if it’s painful in the short-term? Do you hate me for suggesting it? Fair enough.

But I really wouldn’t recommend a medical appointment on a night like this. It’s just like the opening scene of haunted house movie. A couple breaks down on a country road. It’s black as a bat, windy, raining. They run for the only house in miles. The door creaks open on rusty hinges…. argh!

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