It’s hard to bug me. I usually brush things off, especially with an “oh well,” but some things are just harder to exterminate. Still, it is easiest to simply block, delete, mute, swat, scroll and squash what bugs you. In other words, it’s time to block your ex and other pests.
A little while ago, I discovered a new type of relationship: a friendship with an ex. Of course, for everyone it is different, and my friendship with my ex might be different than yours. My inbox had been filling up with likes, comments and sometimes smiley faces from my ex. He wanted to stay on “good terms,” so I shouldn’t have been bothered anyway.
To say he was disturbing me is dramatic; he wasn’t. I feel a little more agitated by what he means when he purposely interacts with me. Is it out of sincerity as a, “I still believe in you and hope you do great things,” or is it, “I regret breaking up with you.” I hope it’s not the latter, as I have been through that with another ex. That’s a story for another time.
Unfortunately, I interacted with him in the same way. Sort of. I post more than he does, so the traction is more on his part. I texted, curious about how he was doing. I expected him to write me off after he unfriended me on a one platform but not on others. That is a question I do not want to ask him. He used his customer service voice, which added to my agitation.
What the really pesky part of all this is, is when he would post Instagram notes that were very suspicious. Those little status bubbles on Instagram are exactly the bugs I scratch at. They are annoying, puzzling and itch my brain in the wrong way. I cannot dissect them forever, so let’s hope all the songs he referenced on his Instagram notes are for some new girl.
Moving away from exes, I have been finding a lot of wild critters; real ones, not boys. I have no idea if there is a symbolic meaning for running into squirrels at a dorm window or seeing a groundhog peek over a spot of grass to look at me while walking to class, but I do know it keeps happening.
Actually, retracting back to the squirrels at the window, I have been woken up by a critter twice while spending the night with my boyfriend. In his apartment back in my hometown, I woke up to some ruffling by the bedroom door. I freaked out thinking a critter was haunting his basement and kitchen had now found me.
We shortly found out it hadn’t reached the room, but rather a small paper bag of treats I had bought at the farmer’s market for my adorable dog. Still, it was very scary to wake up to. The other time was a squirrel at my dorm window, nothing exciting there. If a critter is in the room with me, I roll over and go back to sleep.
The point is, small things that are nagging or bugging can easily be swatted away or scratched. Sometimes a critter can become a funny story, or an ex’s presence online can be blocked away from your algorithm. For my ex, I stopped checking his posts or my inbox when I saw his name. For the real critters I keep seeing, I hope to see them again. Oh well, sometimes life has pests and most of the time, those pests can easily go away.
Cassidy McClurg is a freshman student studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Cassidy about their column? Email them at cm303824@ohio.edu
