Breaking deeply ingrained habits can be extremely difficult, but that’s not stopping Wendy Mardoll from attempting the impossible. The 27-year-old accountant has completed a life quest to stop saying “nice” after anytime someone mentions the number 69.
Her journey, however, was off to a shaky start.
“On Monday, someone ordered lunch for the office and the total was $69,” says Mardoll. “That was really, really tough. I mean, what are the odds?? I had to physically clamp my lips shut with my fingers to stay quiet.”
Wendy admits she underestimated how difficult the challenge was going to be.
“The hardest part has actually been social media,” concedes Mardoll. “Whenever there’s a tweet or a Facebook post that mentions 69, I want to jump in and comment ‘Nice’ because that was always guaranteed to get re-tweets and faves. I always did it for my fans, ya know?
As a result, Wendy is playing it safe by staying off social media and trying to avoid the magic number altogether.
“It’s hard because I always used ‘nice’ socially,” she says. “Like if everyone was saying it I’d be like ‘haha nice’ and everyone would laugh. Now I just avoid it at all costs. If I’m reading an excel sheet, and I spot the number 6, I skip ahead, just in case.”
Friends admit they are inspired by Wendy’s verbal fast.
“It’s weird not to have her interject whenever someone drops the 69 bomb,” said co-worker Erin Miller. “That kind of fun, free-wheeling joke is so synonymous with Wendy that it feels like something is missing. It’s almost like 69 is just a number again.”
Wendy admits the experiment is frequently driving her to the limits of her sanity.
“The other day, a client at the office gave out their phone number, and the last four digits were 6969,” she says. “I had to get up and go for a quick walk outside. I didn’t even bring my coat. I felt like I was going to snap.”
Wendy has so far burst three stress balls from all the additional anxiety, but maintains that the entire struggle is worth it.
“Personal growth is important and I’m not a kid in college anymore,” she says. “I should be able to sit there and not make a reference to mutual oral sex when talking to other adults.”
If only we could all show so much self-discipline. You go, Wendy!
