I am in another one of my tidy up phases, when I abhor disorder. I go around picking up stray objects and putting them in their proper places. Sometimes at night I won’t rest until a pile of papers is sorted. Of course this may mean merely stuffing them into a sack and putting the pouch into a drawer. Why I find this more tidy is not certain but it is.
When the garage door is open one sees a chockablock of cardboard boxes, being saved lest we need one. They are taking over, and an eyesore. I recently badgered Someone into compacting them and putting them into recycle. Bless him! It looks much better. I plan next to sweet talking him into tackling the Augean stable that is the tool shelf.
A Spo-fan asked me if Henrik the Ghost moves things around. The answer is no: he is not a poltergeist and I haven’t heard from in in ages. I dare say i hurt his feelings and he scrammed. So I can’t blame Henrik for moving cups and cutlery.
For a fellow fond of tidiness, the house is continually unraveling and returning to chaos and clutter; the second law of thermodynamics at its worst. It’s not fair the clothes and cups go wandering around the house forming themselves into piles of disarray.
But I refuse to surrender. I channel the generations of men and women who fought against dirt and corruption and slackers who were all to ready to accept squalor and decay and disarray.
19 comments
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January 8, 2013 at 9:10 PM
Brent
You would have sided with my mother during my growing up years. She always said, “Don’t put it down; put it away.”
January 8, 2013 at 9:18 PM
Jay M.
Hmmmm…chaos and clutter, how they embrace me!!! I need a 20 cubic yard dumpster with a chute from my second floor window and twice a week pickup and believe it or not, my place does NOT look like one of the places on that hoarding TV show!!!
Peace <3
Jay
January 8, 2013 at 11:02 PM
Rick
I used to be so neat and tidy. I’m not sure what happened. I suppose when I got the dogs and put in a pet door I felt defeated by dust and hair. I love to save boxes as well. Hey one never knows when you will need one. I also have bags and bags of styrofoam packing and such. I love blaming all the clutter on the dogs. Someone has to take responsibility.
In your case, I think you’re exaggerating a bit. The photos you’ve shared show an immaculate home. But as long as you’re in this tidy phase swing by my place.
January 9, 2013 at 12:26 AM
Frogdancer
I hired a cleaner yesterday. I had to tidy up before she came to look at the house, and I KNOW we’ll be tidying up the night before she comes. I want her to CLEAN… not just put things away. So I guess I’ll be channeling you every Sunday night, so to speak.
January 9, 2013 at 4:25 AM
Laurent
Simple you need a cute house boy to keep you in line.
January 9, 2013 at 7:27 AM
Jay
I cleaned the hall closet this year. Next year it may be something else. In the meantime here is what usually happens. (P.S. you may have seen it as I shared it with someone on Facebook who was cleaning out her closet)
My Closet
In the rear of my closet
live
memories of former lives.
Boxed away in crusty cardboard compartments
Waiting for me to re-find them – the
dreams, desires, decorations of my life.
Pulling them out
one by one,
I relive the events, emotions, energies
Of my accumulation.
They bring pictures to mind of
forgone friends and fascinations;
Grabbing my heartstrings and holding them hostage.
I put them away –
unable to part with them
There they will rest –
waiting until they are released once again
from their dark resting place
by me or by my successor
Who will wonder –
“Why did he keep all his junk!”
January 9, 2013 at 8:04 AM
Greg
Perhaps it’s time to hire a houseboy….er, housekeeper.
January 9, 2013 at 11:54 AM
domanidave
You have not the first notion of real ‘disarray’. If you walked into our house, your head would explode. Let’s meet elsewhere.
January 9, 2013 at 2:26 PM
Ron
Have you found those missing socks?
January 9, 2013 at 3:47 PM
Urspo
There are more single socks in our house than at Peg Leg Pete’s.
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January 9, 2013 at 5:33 PM
truthspew
I love the chaotic! Always have, always will. Patterns start to emerge from chaos.
January 9, 2013 at 5:37 PM
Sean R
It’s funny you mention tidying up. Clutter used to be a trigger for me when I suffered from untreated anxiety and depression. I’d get all wound up, and then something out of place in the house would set me off, and I’d going on what I’ll call a “cleaning rampage.” It wasn’t pretty.
Doing this blog think seems to help me de-clutter my mind.
January 9, 2013 at 6:41 PM
Sean R
I meant to say, “I’d go on what I’ll call a cleaning rampage.”
January 9, 2013 at 7:56 PM
Wayne
Slacker? Some of us just like chaos!
January 10, 2013 at 11:17 AM
Mitchell Block
Oh, I so need to go through another tidy up phase.
January 10, 2013 at 2:26 PM
Nik the Greek
It does make you feel better, doesn’t it?
I’m in a similar mood too. I’m opening old boxes and I’ve recycled old electronics that were just accumulating dust. I’ve even managed to sell a thing or two. A little bit of spring cleaning in the middle of the winter
January 10, 2013 at 3:54 PM
jefferyrn
The de-cluttering never stops. I emptied a drawer in the dresser only to have Ricky fill it up again with his stuff. Apparently, I was a drawer hog and now he has “equal” space. Tell that to the 120 aloha shirts filling my side of the closet and his. Wooden hangers are nice but they don’t allow for as many garment to be crammed into a tiny space. I say if you haven’t worn it in 2 years you are probably never going to.
January 10, 2013 at 6:53 PM
johnmichael
I certainly need to purge!! I don’t like clutter either and it has now surrounded me.
January 15, 2013 at 11:52 PM
Erik Rubright
The hoarder in me is constantly fighting the organizer in me. One always beats the other, but I never know which one it is.