So many aspects of life are out of our control…from the economy’s meltdown and the tanking of our 401Ks to what will happen in our microcosms. Will the cute guy I just met ask me out? Will I be called for any auditions this week, and, if so, will I book the job(s)? Will your kid make the football team/school play? Will you/your spouse get that promotion or be laid off? Why do bad things happen to good people?
To offset the stressful impact of impending events (like foot surgery) and deal with unpleasant experiences (like rejection), some people overeat or undereat. Some drink too much.
I clean.
Why? Because the state of my condo is something I can control. Years of sincere and persistent effort have not yet resulted in a sale of any of my manuscripts. But with some elbow grease and a time commitment of only a few hours, I vanquish dust bunnies and fingerprints. Mere minutes a day keep my papers, drawers and closets organized…with shoes lined up, clothes on shelves neatly stacked and aligned. Even my junk drawer is tidy.
I feel satisfied each time I open a drawer and see the orderly arrangement of my stuff. My little world is in order.
The day before my foot surgery, I cleaned. Everything, including the refrigerator shelves and underneath the sink. I wanted to come home to a clean house.
Friends and family have prevailed upon me to alleviate their disorganization frustration. If you Yahoo! search “remove clutter,” you get 188,000 entries. Some suggest that clutter is a cause of stress. And can lead to wasted time looking for things you can’t find.
What’s cluttering your life? Try this: Devote five minutes a day to organizing/de-clutterizing for one week. Do you feel better?
I really try to get rid of clutter, but it comes back each day, especially the junk mail!
I sorted through the mail and rescued all the bills after vacation, but still need to go back through the pile to make sure I didn’t miss anything. Trouble is the pile has grown larger.
I’m afraid it will take more than 5 minutes for me to get control over the monster, but I should at least try.
Morgan Mandel
http://www.morganmandel.com
http://morganmandel.blogspot.com
I think that my clutter is a manifestation of my crazy alter ego who enjoys that reaction of ‘hey, how did all this junk get here?’ from me.
One of my close friends, a pediatrician, is also very OCD and she cleans to combat the stresses in her life. I’ve offered on numerous occasions to take on the entirety of the project of searching for a practice for her here, schools for her kids, a home in a suitable neighborhood and a position for her husband–if only she’ll come to my house and clean it.
Good luck with your foot surgery.