I can’t stand the irritatingly familiar sounds of my mom’s gulping and chewing.

Hearing her Diet Coke swooshing around in her mouth makes my blood boil. But it’s not just her. Countless people smack their lips around like there’s nobody watching, and I can’t bear it. Sometimes it’s so aggravating that I have to leave the room.

My irritation builds up over time, and the longer I sit there and listen, the worse it gets. Sometimes, it doesn’t affect me at all, but other times I have to go and watch a movie because I can’t stand sitting at the table while listening to these noises. To make it even worse, sometimes my own chewing exasperates me.

But, unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about that.