9 Interesting Everyday Ironies

What is irony?

The Web defines it as something that’s a contrary to what we expect.

If they’re statements, they were meant for sarcasm and maybe even mockery.

But often in life, we encounter tiny ironies that have us shaking our heads and smiling to ourselves.

Here are nine examples of irony you may have encountered more than once during your day.

9 Examples of Irony In Everyday Life

1. Parenting is a lot harder than it looks.

While raising small children, you are more tired than you have ever been or ever will be.

You will never have a messier home, and no one to help keep it clean.

The yogurt on the walls, the milk on the ground, two to three sets of small clothes, per child, per day, being tossed into the laundry basket.

You don’t have six arms, and you don’t have 48 hours in a day.

But logically, that is when you need more time, more energy, and more arms.

Newborns and two-year-olds don’t clean up after themselves.

Actually, they make more messes than anyone.

You turn around and they’re pulling another drawer out.

Just a few examples of irony with kids, right?

Often, the young moms are doing most of the work, because the dads are usually fighting through school and work to provide for their family.

Moms and dads should know they have great value to their kids and to the world.

They are irreplaceable.

Moms need to pace themselves and understand that a less than perfect house is alright.

Dads on the other hand, will have their time to clean and sleep, too.

Don’t forget to reward yourselves sometimes.

2. The circus in the grocery store.

Kids and grocery stores: the only people who know what a horror of a trip this can be are the store cashiers and the parents herding their kids up and down the aisles.

There’s the difficulty of dressing kids, piling them into the car, and shuffling them into the store.

Parents need more food than they ever had needed before, to fill the cupboards with loads of fresh fruits, veggies, and snacks.

The contents of which deplete quickly when a lot of little mouths are around.

It’s one of life’s everyday examples of irony that parents of young children have to go more often to the grocery store.

Why?

It’s because taking your toddler into a store is like living nightmare.

The best way to cheat this paradox is to plan ahead.

Purchase more in one trip and/or ask for help.

Get your neighbor to pick stuff up for you at the store if need be.

3. Everyday irritations don’t have to last forever.

There are some things that just rub you wrong and come back to bite you everyday.

Dogs are good examples of irony.

They are the soft, furry creatures that live by our side day and night, but then the tension in the house rises every time the doorbell rings or the dog bolts out of the door.

Humans and dogs don’t speak the same language.

But there has to be a way to get them on the same page.

Maybe an obedience class or doggie treats?

Most of the everyday irritations around the home really take flight in the mind.

Change the way you think about everyday dilemmas or change the status quo.

Don’t settle for less; figure out the solutions to life’s little irritations so they don’t drive you crazy.

4. Learn to love while you’ve got the chance.

We’ve all heard the phrase “you never know what you’ve got until it is gone.”

The ultimate irony is we don’t always appreciate the things right in front of us until they are not there anymore.

We might complain about our crazy, loud toddlers or the sleep they steal from us.

It might be annoying to have to travel across town to help out aging parents.

But it only takes losing something for a minute for us know we would be lost without them.

It only takes a brush with sickness to realize your parents aren’t going to live forever.

If you know what you have before you lose it – it means you’re grateful.

Developing gratitude in everyday life is one of the most helpful characteristics a person can work on. It is the mark of real maturity.

5. Pain is one of life’s greatest lessons 

Getting sick is one of life’s examples of irony.

It’s ironic when you get the flu, you’d like nothing more than to have a little company, or someone to step in and do your housework for you.

But the truth is, if they get too close, they will catch what you’ve got.

The lesson here is there is some pain that can’t be shared.

But that pain can turn into our own personal fire that forges character and patience.

6. Finances can be your worst enemy or your best friend.

Have you ever skipped fixing an appliance, because you don’t have the money at that time? Then the appliance breaks, because you didn’t tune it up when it needed tuning.

Now you have to pay twice as much as you would have had you fixed the appliance in the first place.

These same financial patterns creep everywhere.

The solution is to budget and plan for rainy days so you can fix things right away.

Keeping on top of your finances means you don’t get stuck on the side of the road without a plan – or a penny.

7. Appreciate the power of the elements.

Mother Nature is perhaps one of the best sources for examples of irony.

The most wonderful creations we have on this planet are also some of the most destructive – fire, wind, ice, water, the list goes on.

At first glance, these elements are enchanting, peaceful, and calm.

They are colorful and they seem harmless.

Once the elements interact with their fierce inner turmoil however, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and tsunamis surface with vengeance.

The solution is to appreciate their power – and definitely don’t take risks with them.

8. The arts take work.

A really professional violinist or pianist makes the pieces they play sound effortless.

But it really takes hours and hours of practice to makes a piece go from good to great.

The lesson to learn here is to really get good at something and make it seem natural.

It takes a whole lot of effort and will not sound or feel natural at first.

The most celebrated musicians, athletes, and professionals are the ones who have invested enough time in their gift to make it look and sound extraordinary.

9. Make new friends but keep the old.

It’s ironic that by the time we finally figure life out, it is over.

There is no better life lesson than experience.

Time spent in the throws of trial and error, lends to a lot of truth to so much confusion.

The best way to get ahead is to spend time with older friends.

They have had the life experience, the kind of experience that expands the soul and enlarges the mind.

Make new friends – but don’t forget the ones who have stayed with you the longest.

Which of these examples of irony do you experience on a daily basis?

Do you have kids, pets, or friends that sometimes get to you?

How do you cope with them?

Many things in our lives are like double-edged swords.

On one hand, they’re a blessing.

But on the other hand, they can irritate us to no end.

Still, what would we do without them?

They make us mad with laughter and tears.

They are the ironies of life we can’t help but love.