I’ve had to do some quite creative stuff with hair clips recently. Twisty, layerering, plastered down, not-a-great-look kind of stuff. I mean, I’ve drawn the line at comedy cartoon hair clips, but still. I’m basically at that stage of in between bald and having an actual hair style, where the only two options are look a bit rubbish and have a lot of hair in your eyes, or look a bit rubbish and don’t have so much hair in your eyes. I’ve gone for option two. Hence the clips. I used to find hair in my eyes annoying. But now it’s an actual novelty. I was quite delighted when I realised I was having to constantly brush my hair out of my eyes. For the first time in ages, I could actually see my own hair. At least, I could have done if I hadn’t had hair in my eyes.

There are a few things that used to annoy me and don’t anymore. Either because I’ve got a bit of perspective on things, or because they signify something positive to me now. Like the hair. There are quite a few things that do still annoy me though. Rude, disrespectful, lazy-arsed people. Rain in the middle of summer. My cat knowing exactly where my bladder is. Mobile phone batteries that go from 50% to 0% in 4 seconds. Being absolutely convinced my nail varnish is dry. Right up to the point I decide to push my hair out of my eyes. And that was all in one afternoon.

But one thing that doesn’t annoy me anymore, I realise, is the fact that I get annoyed. It would be much worse if my ‘bit of perspective’ had resulted in my not letting things get to me at all. I mean, I’m quite an annoyed sort of person. It’s a fundamental aspect of my personality. Possibly the main aspect. There’s a reason I needed botox before the age of 40. And however glad I am for that bit of perspective and for being given chance to reflect on things, worse than not having been affected at all by my recent experiences would be to have been affected so much that I didn’t feel like myself anymore. 

So, let’s just get this straight. As well as being a bit less annoyed about a few things, I’m still annoyed about some things. But I’m not annoyed about being annoyed. I can’t quite work out whether I’m annoyed or not, on balance. But I’m trying not to let it get to me. Because annoyingly, botox is quite expensive.