Accidental Ambivalence

Be Proud of Me, Damn It

You, my lovely readers are aware that I'm a slob; I've told you as much. I have a tendency to let things get bad - sometimes very bad - before the mood to clean up strikes me. Sharing space, however, with Roommate makes me more aware of my messes and more likely to clean them without prompting or near-hazmat levels being reached.

For the last week, I have desperately wanted to clean our kitchen. For some reason, however, I have developed a mental block to cleaning unless I am completely alone in the house. I feel like I'm disturbing the other person or that they're judging the way I'm cleaning. Also, I like to listen to music that is very loud and not always appreciated by everyone, and since I haven't been home for an extended, guaranteed length of time in a while, the cleaning wasn't getting done. Bradshaw can attest to the fact that it was driving me crazy since it was one of the seven dozen or so things that I cried about during our conversation Monday night.*

Now, after all of that likely unnecessary exposition, I get to tell you that tonight I got to clean. I lost steam between sweeping the floor and the mopping that needs to be done but hasn't been, but I did a load of dishes, cleaned the stove and countertops, gathered the clutter from the island/table, and swept all the crumbs and detritus from the floor. I also folded Roommate's laundry that was in the dryer, transferred her last load into the dryer, and did one of my own. This is a vast improvement on my usual practice of waiting until I have absolutely nothing to wear and going commando for a week before doing anything about it.

After all of that, I grabbed a trash bag and went after my room. I emptied the trash cans, then set to gathering all of the junk that ends up on my floor: junk mail, Netflix trash, random papers with inconsequential things written on them. Now, I still have a laundry basket and a chair full of things that need to be put away that I have no intention of touching tonight and really need to wash my bedding, but you have to be proud of me for that.

It is amazing to me how much lighter I feel for having done all of these chores. Clean counters and an empty sink and seeing the carpet in my bedroom just makes it all so much lovelier.

Now, after I made you read the play-by-play of my domestic chores - ick - I'm going to tell you about my really idyllic plans for tomorrow morning. I have croissants, fresh strawberries, orange juice, and coffee just begging to be eaten on the patio (which I cleaned up yesterday - trash and junk left from Memorial Day and the many days since) while I read the new Vanity Fair and ponder a shower.

*Oh yes, Monday was a banner day for little Miss Nic. You just got the tiniest taste in Monday's post.

Labels: everyday musings, my insanity

posted by nicalyse @ 10:50 PM