Dealing with my Annoying coworker

Dealing with my Annoying coworker

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When I worked with Mary, I used to greatly admire her. She seamlessly balanced her busy social life with her professional obligations, always seeming so put together and confident. I was amazed by her organizational abilities and her capacity for composure under duress when we started working together a few years ago.

I used to enjoy hearing her stories about her weekend travels or her most recent dating mishaps when we would get coffee together in the afternoon. Her enthusiasm for living was contagious. In an attempt to imitate her casual demeanor, I discovered that I was trying to pick up some of her confidence.

Mary burst into a long, furious diatribe one afternoon while we were enjoying our lattes about how her partner was continuously leaving his dirty dishes in the sink. She went on and on about how it set her teeth on edge and how she wished he had been more courteous.

I sat there silently, unsure how to answer. A part of me wanted to point out that leaving a few dishes in the sink did not seem like a relationship ending offense. But I would rather not upset anyone or appear insensitive. So I merely nodded, hoping the diatribe would eventually end.

As the weeks passed, I observed that Mary often became agitated about the most insignificant issues. She would be furious with the transit system inefficiency if her train was delayed. She would storm around puffing and huffing if someone at the office drank the last of the coffee without making a fresh pot.

Her incessant complaining was starting to get on my nerves. Did she not recognize how lucky she was to have her comfortable career and her busy social life? She was getting heated over cold coffee and unclean dishes since so many people were having difficulty making ends meet.

At some point, I lost it when Mary would not stop complaining about how hideous her new haircut was. “Mary, I really do not think your haircut looks bad at all,” I replied. In reality, I believe it works well for you. In all honesty, a lot of the things you get worked up over appear insignificant when you look at the bigger picture.

Mary gaped at me as she stared. Her voice was little as she replied, “Wow, I did not realize I was being so dramatic.” “I suppose I simply get anxious quickly, and I vent on others around me. If I have been putting teeth on edge, I apologize.” I could tell Mary attitude had changed after that day. She began to become more aware of how she reacted, and frequently, she would pause before going on one of her famous rants. As a result, I learned to be more understanding and patient with myself and realized that everyone has their challenges and fears.

I have come to appreciate Mary other traits that initially drew me in, such as her contagious energy, her steadfast loyalty, and her sincere love for life.
Even though I may never fully understand her tendency to get worked up about small inconveniences.
And I like to think I have done something, tiny though it may have been, to assist her retain those teeth.

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