Lifestyle, Mental Health, People, Self, Society

Confessing Our Quirks

colour coded

colour coded

I’ve often heard people say they need to have the volume level on an even number. My reaction to this is always ‘Um…why?’ But then I start to think about my own little quirks and, as it turns out, I have quite a few.

I checked in with some friends and see what little oddities they have been hiding (or not hiding, in some cases). They all had at least one task that had to be done, or completed a certain way. I’m not sure if this is an attempt at gaining control in an increasingly ‘busy’ world, or just a glitch in the matrix that is the human mind. Either way, it’s fascinating.

I’ve decided to let you all have a peek behind the curtain of my mind and am sharing some of my quirks.

  • I must have no unread emails in my inbox. For reasons too complicated to explain, I have four email addresses. As soon as a new email comes in it is read and then deleted/replied to/marked as read.
  • The kitchen has to be clean before I can start cooking. And I’m not just talking about a sink free of dirty dishes. There cannot be any clean dishes that are not put away, and there must be fresh tea towels hung in just the right spot. Even if the kitchen has been cleaned I still do a once-over before I can begin.
  • I count things when I’m waiting. It can be tiles on the floor or cracks on the wall. I must always land on an even number. Yep, those volume people are weird.
  • I need to be super-hydrated at all times. I am one of those people that carry a water bottle with me everywhere. I start to get a headache if I don’t have one with me, and  – pun intended – I’m pretty sure it’s all in my head. This has gotten to the point where I’m having a ‘brave’ day if I go grocery shopping without a bottle of water.

And here are some my friends kindly shared:

  • Must open all systems at work in a particular order. If one of them shuts down then they must all be closed and opened in the right order.
  • Rates books after reading them. All of their books have a number on the inside cover that rates how much they enjoyed it.
  • Colour codes their wardrobe. The inside looks similar to a rainbow.

Do you have any quirks you’d like to share?

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    • https://kikiandtea.com/ Tamsin Howse

      Oh my gosh, have I got quirks!! From the above I have to have the volume on an even number, I open all the programs and internet pages in a certain order at the beginning of every day and my wardrobe is coded by level of clothing (including cardigans that open being beside jackets and beside cardigans that are closed).

      I also used to have all my DVDs not just alphabetical but alpha alpha (aa, ab, ac, etc). I have a colour coded to do list (which is on a whiteboard). I don’t even know what else to add, I think I do a great many things that are weird.

      • Jessica Chapman

        I do not accept anything that isn’t in alpha alpha order as being in alphabetical order, if the a’s are together but there’s an as before an ab, then it’s wrong and not in alphabetical order.

        • https://kikiandtea.com/ Tamsin Howse

          Agreed!

    • Melissa Savage

      I have synaethesia, which means that letters, numbers, days of the week and words in general all have colours attached to them in my mind’s eye. I have been known to find certain names pretty or distasteful based on their assigned colour (eg, I love ‘A’ and ‘J’ names because they are pink and green respectively, but ‘H’ names are too boring to contemplate because they are beige).

      I also use matching pegs when I hang the washing on the line and also hang things in order with biggest on the outside and smallest on the inside. I can’t abide putting on anything woollen while my hair is wet. I hate laying down while I’m wearing my glasses because the frames make a squeaky noise against pillows and cushions. I have a compulsive need to deal with any app on my phone that has a red notification bubble. I start to freak out when the petrol gauge reaches a quarter of a tank and I must fill up as soon as possible.

    • Pelican Pie

      Pegging the washing is probably the most idiosyncratic thing people do. I’ve had people staying with me who have really flipped out because I didn’t hang their knickers with TWO pegs. (I use one peg)
      And I hang socks in pairs with only one peg. Apparently one must have one peg per sock. When I say I hang socks in pairs, the pairs don’t necessarily have to match.
      As long as they’re on the line, and drying, I couldn’t give a flying.

      I also get very anxious when the fuel gauge is three-quarters empty — and when I juice the car up and I have a full tank, I feel like I’ve got money in the bank!

      Nowt so queer as folk, eh?

      But, ohhhh, I just love that rainbow display of books, above!

      • https://kikiandtea.com/ Tamsin Howse

        People hang their knickers with two pegs?

      • Lauren

        Or people that hang their washing using the pegs in colour order, all blue pegs then all red pegs etc etc. who has time for that shit!