Since I've already fessed up about the spreadsheets and my desire to own a label maker, why not go a little deeper down the rabbit hole. Some like to call it borderline OCD; I refer to it as a passion for organization.
When I was young, I used to collect little ceramic Home Interior bears. Sometimes, my mom would come in my bedroom and move them just to mess with me. I'd walk in to the room and immediately know that something was amiss. I would stand very still and look around, assessing all of my treasures until I noticed the little bear dressed up like a police officer was rotated 45 degrees. He wasn't supposed to be facing the little bear dressed up like a baker; IT WAS MADNESS!
I have my own certain way of doing almost everything. Being married has forced me to ease up on this a little, mostly for the sake of my own sanity. My choices were going completely Sleeping with the Enemy on Joel or conceding to the fact that sometimes the different types of peanut butter wouldn't be lined up properly in the cabinet. So far, I've survived the chaos without incident.
Kai used to try to help me fold laundry when she was over. She would fold a towel and set it on the table. Our conversation would immediately halt and I would stare at it, then at her, then back at the towel. Conversation would go as follows:
Kai: You are going to refold that, aren't you?
Me: *sheepishly answers * Yeah.
Kai: Did you refold the last one while I was in the bathroom?
Me: *looks away, then sheepishly answers* Yeah.
Kai: Would you rather that I stop touching your laundry, sit down, drink my wine and keep you company while you finish?
Me: *answers in a rush of excitement and relief* Yes please, that would be wonderful!
I just feel as though everything should have its place. If you come to my house and it is in disarray (which means there is mail stacked up, the table runner and centerpiece are misaligned and there is hair on the bathroom floor), it is because I have either been gone, super busy or taken to bed in a mid-winter depression.* It just makes me feel more comfortable to be surrounded by order. There are so few things in life that you can control, your house should not be one of them.
I'm sure you can imagine how much pleasure I derive from good organization tips. While waiting for my obgyn to come in and check out my business, I was reading O magazine. (Take a minute to let the irony sink in.) It had the kind of organization tip that makes you slap your forehead and think to yourself "It makes so much sense". Fold your fitted sheet, top sheet and all but one pillow case in a set and put them all inside of the last pillow case for storage. This way, they stack nicely and you can pull just one out of the closet without standing there for 20 minutes trying to find that last GD pillow case. It's brilliant, isn't it?
Well, I shared it with my doc as soon as she came in and she was ECSTATIC. Apparently, she is a freak for organizing as well. She then gave me a tip of her own...this is what I spent last evening doing after dinner:
Did that just blow your mind? I think I opened and closed the door about 15 times just because I was so delighted to see all of the crap that I could never find just sitting there in front of me. I can neither confirm nor deny that I might alphabetize the items over the weekend since I won't have to spend any time moving cans around to find the tiny bag of arborio rice.
*Except if it is dusty, because dusting is not my thing.
When I was young, I used to collect little ceramic Home Interior bears. Sometimes, my mom would come in my bedroom and move them just to mess with me. I'd walk in to the room and immediately know that something was amiss. I would stand very still and look around, assessing all of my treasures until I noticed the little bear dressed up like a police officer was rotated 45 degrees. He wasn't supposed to be facing the little bear dressed up like a baker; IT WAS MADNESS!
I have my own certain way of doing almost everything. Being married has forced me to ease up on this a little, mostly for the sake of my own sanity. My choices were going completely Sleeping with the Enemy on Joel or conceding to the fact that sometimes the different types of peanut butter wouldn't be lined up properly in the cabinet. So far, I've survived the chaos without incident.
Kai used to try to help me fold laundry when she was over. She would fold a towel and set it on the table. Our conversation would immediately halt and I would stare at it, then at her, then back at the towel. Conversation would go as follows:
Kai: You are going to refold that, aren't you?
Me: *sheepishly answers * Yeah.
Kai: Did you refold the last one while I was in the bathroom?
Me: *looks away, then sheepishly answers* Yeah.
Kai: Would you rather that I stop touching your laundry, sit down, drink my wine and keep you company while you finish?
Me: *answers in a rush of excitement and relief* Yes please, that would be wonderful!
I just feel as though everything should have its place. If you come to my house and it is in disarray (which means there is mail stacked up, the table runner and centerpiece are misaligned and there is hair on the bathroom floor), it is because I have either been gone, super busy or taken to bed in a mid-winter depression.* It just makes me feel more comfortable to be surrounded by order. There are so few things in life that you can control, your house should not be one of them.
I'm sure you can imagine how much pleasure I derive from good organization tips. While waiting for my obgyn to come in and check out my business, I was reading O magazine. (Take a minute to let the irony sink in.) It had the kind of organization tip that makes you slap your forehead and think to yourself "It makes so much sense". Fold your fitted sheet, top sheet and all but one pillow case in a set and put them all inside of the last pillow case for storage. This way, they stack nicely and you can pull just one out of the closet without standing there for 20 minutes trying to find that last GD pillow case. It's brilliant, isn't it?
Well, I shared it with my doc as soon as she came in and she was ECSTATIC. Apparently, she is a freak for organizing as well. She then gave me a tip of her own...this is what I spent last evening doing after dinner:
Did that just blow your mind? I think I opened and closed the door about 15 times just because I was so delighted to see all of the crap that I could never find just sitting there in front of me. I can neither confirm nor deny that I might alphabetize the items over the weekend since I won't have to spend any time moving cans around to find the tiny bag of arborio rice.
*Except if it is dusty, because dusting is not my thing.
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