Better or worse?

In the last few weeks, I have noticed a distinct change in my tolerance levels, and I'm wondering whether this means my health is improving or deteriorating! As I became gradually less well over the two years before surgery, I became increasingly less willing to accept poor service, shoddy goods and idiotic systems. I resented being asked to do additional work without notice. I spent a lot of time on the phone providing my unsolicited opinion on the state of various services ranging from telephone banking to the cost of fuel - but only after seething for days and contemplating how much effort complaining would take. My neighbours called me "Mrs.Angry" and got me to write letters of complaint to the local council on behalf of all of us!

Post surgery, I became extremely tolerant, taking the view that life is too short to worry about trivia. If I was unhappy about something, I would say so, but I wouldn't really care about the outcome; I would merely state my case and not follow up if things didn't improve.

About a month ago, I realised that I was starting to get more irritated by poor service, shoddy goods and idiotic systems - and as for noise, don't even get me started on that one! Since this realisation dawned on me, I have observed myself; at the slightest provocation, I now phone the offending organisation and explain what it is that I object to. I no longer allow them to fob me off with transparently unlikely excuses, not following up if they don't deliver on their promises. Once I would have done, but not any more. A fridge that is mended but still fails to work appropriately? The engineer is coming out again to sort that out. A credit card I don't want and my balance transferred to that card without anyone telling me? A cancelled credit card account and my view on politeness costing nothing being relayed to the bank in question via three separate channels (which reminds me, I must send them another letter of complaint about the change in credit cards being made over a month before the new card was sent to me - a month after I'd cancelled it!). Cold calls trying to sell me insurance for a house I don't live in any longer? They won't be calling back - and, while we're on the subject, it's all very well telling me I can read their terms and conditions on their website; what if I don't have access to the Web? Nobody had ever asked that question it seems... Would I like to object to the local council's plans to build hundreds (literally) of new houses in the fields around where I live? You bet I would - indeed, I've already done it; rather than object only to the building in my back yard, however, unlike those who asked me, I've objected to all the building in order to ensure that if my local fields are saved from the builders, the building won't simply be moved a few fields down the lane. I'm getting quite good at pointing out the consequences of not looking beyond your own needs and wants!

Well, you get the picture, I'm sure. I have a feeling that I have turned into a grumpy old woman - but rather than a grumpy old woman who simply mutters into her cup of tea, feels aggrieved and does nothing about it, or at least does something in the fullness of time but needs to steel herself to do so, I now pick up the phone immediately!

On reflection, doing something about it on the spot probably means that I am very much better than I was. Life is too short to worry unnecessarily about things, but I don't see why I should put up with problems caused by other peoples' incompetence. In fact, surgery and recovery have empowered my grumpy old woman-ness - I now not only have the grumpiness, I also have the energy to act on it! All together now:

I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it any more!