"I'm Jealous of..."

I'm interrupting my normally awesome run/race/all-about-puppies life recaps to tell the world one of my biggest pet peeves. And since this blog is my own narcissistic creation, I figure I can do that without penalty =)

Everyone has pet peeves. Most of them are related to things other people do (or don't do). For example, I hate it when people drive slow in the left lane.

Or when people eat food with their mouths open. Or when my husband random people don't put the toilet seat up.

Runners are a different breed of people, I'm convinced, and we have our own set of "runner's pet peeves." People who don't share the sidewalk. Drivers who give no less than 3 inches when they pass you. Those jerks that jump in front of you during a race and then walk or slow down (there is a special place in hell for those people, and it's the same place where all those pokey people in the left lane go too).

But the biggest thing that irks me is when people say those infamous words, "I'm jealous of you."

We've probably all been on the receiving end (and maybe the giving end) of this line. A friend says they're jealous that you run, they certainly could never do that.

A slower runner than you says they're jealous of your pace.

Someone (usually holding a burger and fries) is jealous of your slim waist.

It goes on and on. I had a friend back in the day who used to always tell me how "lucky" I was to do so well in school and music and how "jealous" she was of me that I was successful (in school, at least). I never had the nerve to tell her how much her comments unnerved me (ironic, no?).

Here's what it comes down to: what you put into it is what you'll get out of it.

Don't be jealous of my grades/performance. I study a lot. Do you?

Don't be jealous that I can run. I get out the door even on days I don't feel like running. Do you?

Don't be jealous of the way my body looks. I eat healthy and live active. Do you?

Don't be jealous of my race times. I push my body to its limits in speed work and long runs. Do you?

So every time someone expresses their jealously toward -whatever accomplishment- I've made, a part of me starts screaming inside, "are you jealous of all the time I put into it, too?"

I admire people who run fast and often. I admire the 'smart' people . I admire my talented colleagues in my field. And yes, part of me wants to have what they have. But I know that I'll only be as good as I make myself be.

What's your pet peeve?