The Best Cure for a Messy House

1. Watch the new episodes of Hoarders on Netflix
2. Wait for a good snow so you’re unwilling to leave the house
3. Let Mom visit

I was aware I hadn’t done my share of the housework in a while.  Cam was doing his best.  I got a bit spoiled while I was working two jobs through Christmas.  The deal was he was to do all the housework while I was at my second job.  Now that job is over, and I knew I needed to pick up the slack.  It was just so much easier to spend that free time in front of Netflix.

Then, my parents dropped by.  The excuses began.  We have 3 cats.  We’re busy.  What’s the point?  We’re buying another house soon!  My favorite is the weather.  I’d rather hibernate under my blankets between 5 p.m. and 6 a.m. and only leave when the bill-paying job requires me to leave.

The second push was finding the new episodes of Hoarders on Netflix.  There is nothing that motivates me to clean more than watching that show.  It doesn’t take long to clean our little place.  We just needed the motivation.

The show also inspired me to purge.  There’s really nothing like purging yourself of the things you’ve needlessly accumulated.  (Well, to begin with, there’s nothing better than not accumulating the things you don’t need anyway, but that’s probably another topic for another day.)  It really is hard to get rid of the things I have kept from before Cam moved his whole life into my place.  I can still remember the conversation we had about my bed.  I was determined to keep it.  I was worried something would happen, or I thought it would be great if someone was going to be visiting.  I don’t know what I was thinking.  So, we have maybe too many mattresses here.

I didn’t want to let go of the home I created for myself.  I lived in a two-room hut in Africa, so I know I can live with less.  I felt I worked hard for this home.  I made it comfortable.  I made it mine.  Now it’s ours.  It’s time to let go of things to make room for each other.

With the snow coming down outside, Hoarders on the t.v., and my mother’s voice in my head, I decided last night was a good night to start my purge.  Spring cleaning started in January this year.