I am a rotten housekeeper, and I just don't understand it. I was raised by a family who set the highest value on never having a thing out of place. The house may not have been antiseptic clean, and no telling what was in the garage or in
the cabinets, but if anyone showed up at the door unexpectedly, they would never see a glass on the counter or a newspaper on the sofa.
Despite what you usually see in my blog photos, my house is not really like that. At all. I wish it were. I hate clutter, and find it very distracting, but I just don't seem to have the willpower to keep it properly under control. I used to blame it all on John and the kids, but either I was fooling myself, or somewhere along the way, I was drawn to the dark side.
I would love it if I never had to be embarrassed when someone drops by unexpectedly, but I guess I just don't love it enough. Every time I walk into a room and see some clutter that ought to be taken care of right away, I find myself thinking, "Well, I could do that right now, but no one's gonna see it today but me, and there's those new perennials to plant, and that story to write, and those pictures to draw, and that place to explore, and that river to float, and those brownies to bake, and that new yarn to knit..." And so, the newspapers stay on the coffee table, and the shoes by the door, and the glasses on the counter, until I know someone's coming over for sure - then I go a bit nuts trying to get it photo-shoot-perfect all at once.
I keep thinking I'll change my ways, turn over a new leaf, but what would that entail exactly? Would I really find life more enjoyable, if I somehow managed to turn my priorities around? What would life be like if the new Becky could glance at an empty sketchbook page and a boxful of colorful pencils and think "Yum! Shall I play with those for a while?", then glance over at some dusty knick-knacks and think "No, I'd rather take care of that instead"? Or, what if the Muses called up to say "Meet us at the Blue Hole in 15 minutes", and she always replied "Well, I'd love to, but there are a few weeds in the garden"...or some windows that need cleaning...or...? Would I really be happier? Would you read a blog about how nice and orderly my house is?
Well, you needn't worry about that ever coming to pass. In the meantime, it's a good thing I have friends like the Muses. I never have to fret about their unexpected visits...because I'm pretty sure what I'd find, if I happened to drop in on them.
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7 comments:
=) I do the same things... and you have the same cell phone that I do!
Why am I not surprised? As for the cleaning, or lack thereof, I like to console myself with a line I read somewhere about it being much better to be a good home-maker than a good house-keeper. I don't think our families would argue with that, do you?
We are exactly the same! Not only do I clean only when people are coming over (therefore, I can't have a spontaneous gathering), but I also clean in anticipation of leaving the house to go on vacation. I'm worried that if something happened to us while we were on vacation, I would be so embarrassed if someone came to our house and saw how we left things. Geoff thinks I'm so silly! :)
Jessica: We had friends down the street a long time ago who got into a big fight out in the driveway one time. They were supposed to be leaving on vacation, and the hubby had finished loading up ages ago, but couldn't get his wife to quit cleaning and get her butt in the car. She kept him waiting another hour or so while she vacuumed the entire house. We were all cracking up, but she was like "Well, what if someone broke into the house while we were gone, and found it filthy!" You'll be relieved to know they are still happily married.
Oooo... I like that! better to be a good home-maker than a good house-keeper! My husband now reads your blog and even commented to me on us having the same cell phones! =)
AMEN GIRL!!! Although, I fear that I canNOT leave my house dirty when I go on vacation. That is only because the dread of coming home to a dirty, messy house and then unpacking seems worse than the actual cleaning.
Curious, I know what you mean. I used to feel that way about leaving the kids with my hubby for a few days when they were small. He's a great dad, and I knew they'd be happy and well-cared for, BUT, I also knew what the house was going to look like when I got back, and I always had a hard time deciding if the get-away was really worth it!
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