This weird thought came to me as I was brushing my teeth last night. I have a strange habit. This strange habit is something I engage in while brushing my teeth. As I brushed, I wondered: do other people have quirky habits like this? My weird habit is this: when I am brushing my teeth I stand on one leg. I hold the non-standing leg against my belly. I don’t know why I like to brush my teeth one-legged. I just do. It’s odd. It feels odd to brush my teeth with both feet firmly on the ground. It just doesn’t feel right. So I don’t do it.
No, this isn’t me but at least I’m not the only one who does this
Two of my three sons have a strange habit. They hum while they eat. They make ‘hmmm, mmmm, mmmm’ noises as they chomp. I have no idea why they do this. They have both always done this. Interestingly, the middle one doesn’t do this. They even do this when they have friends round. They continue to do this even after the friend or friends have commented on this odd behaviour.
Another slightly eccentric thing I do is read when I’m on the toilet (as well as have strange thoughts). I don’t think I am the only person who does this. However, I will take a book with me if I am going out so that if I need the toilet while I am out I have something to read. If on the off chance I’m caught short without a book, I will resort to reading the back of the bleach bottle (and very interesting the average bleach bottle is). It is rare that I find myself in a toilet with absolutely nothing to read. If that does happen, things generally do not flow as easily as they otherwise might. I struggle without reading matter. This is one instance when I’m glad to be female. I can indulge in my weirdness in the confines of a cubicle.
This is my dream toilet
I have a friend (and if she reads this she will know who she is) who always used to (and might still do) eat her meal in a set order. If the meal consisted of a meat or fish portion, and two or more vegetable portions, she always left the meat or fish portion to the end. She claimed that that was the best bit so she liked to leave the best until the end. This same friend (sorry!) used to click her toe nails while watching TV. I have no idea whether she still does that nor not.
I also have a quirky habit when it comes to cups of tea and coffee. I can never finish a hot drink. I always have to leave a centimetre of coffee or tea in the bottom. I cannot drink the last bit. I never have been able to do this.
My favourite tipple – but not the bottom bit
My husband’s strange habit is an inability to spend small change. I’m not sure why but if something he is purchasing comes to £10.11p he will pay with either a ten pound note and a pound coin or perhaps a ten pound note and a fifty-pence coin. Even if he has a selection of two- and one-pence coins in his pocket, he won’t use them. Perhaps he doesn’t want to be a bother by standing there at the till holding up the queue while he counts out his coppers. Maybe he likes to collect coppers. Perhaps he is hiding a secret slot-machine habit. I don’t know why he does this. He is just able to accumulate coppers like nobody else I have met. I never have more than six pence in coppers at any time. We are very different in this way.
Slot machine heaven
I want to know what ‘strange habits’ other people have. I think we are all quirky behind our front doors.
If nothing else, I want to be proved that I am more normal than I think I am. This world needs to be populated with more weirdness.
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