Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Visual Clutter = Emotional Zap

When I was little, I wanted to be an architect.

Like many of you, I played Legos for hours and hours, probably several months' worth of my childhood. My patient mother vacuumed around the pieces spread across the living room floor. Every time I built a house, it was comprised of rows in the same repeating color pattern--red, yellow, white, blue, black.

What can I say? Order is in my DNA.

Now that I am (supposedly) a grown-up with my own home, I still like to look around and see order: clear counters, clear floorspace, and clean lines. Somehow it gives me a little boost to look around and see that order.
[Not my actual house, but it's nice to dream.]














When my home doesn't have much visible counter or floor space, I notice my pulse quickening as I pigeon step over toys, shoes, dishes, or, like today, swim accessories.

I'm learning that I just have to take the five or ten minutes to clean up before we do the next thing. And, unfortunately, this means forcing the issue with younger ones. I want to have the kind of house where we pick up before we leave for an errand, or go outside, or go up for naps. If we do this, Mommy will be more emotionally prepared to play and less emotionally distracted.

Maybe you can get on my case and ask about my progress...thanks!

As a side note, we had our carpets professionally cleaned a few months ago. I am still wishing I could have kept the special carpet comb that the gentleman used to make all the fibers stand up and look so tidy. But, on second, thought, it might become a very unhealthy obsession.

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