Obsessed 09/23/2009
 
The older I get, the more I realize I'm a lot like my mother. 

It's funny how that realization doesn't really hit a person until after they are on their own. But the more time I spend at college, living basically independent of family, the more I see how my mom's behavior has influenced my own. For one, when I was younger, I thought she was crazy to have us do all the cleaning chores as often as we did.

 It's not like there were that many of us in our family, yet every other week there would be bathrooms to clean, floors to vacuum and dusting to be done. Every day, dishes had to be done, and this became even worse around holidays when we cooked enough food for an army, but there were only about five of us living in our house. We never really had company over, so I never understood the fuss of cleaning so much. 

Fast forward to now, and you could say that I'm pretty much obsessed with cleaning, or at least with some things. Looking at my desk, you wouldn't realize that I like to be organized because it's messy, but I believe some things require "organized disorganization," like desks. I know where everything is, and don't really care if no one else understands my system. 

One place I absolutely cannot stand being dirty, however, is the kitchen. My rule of thumb is if you cook something, you clean up after yourself. It's common sense and common courtesy, you know? No one wants to look at a plate and wonder if it was just used to cook. So lately, when there is a large mess in the kitchen, my OCD Mode kicks in and I HAVE to either clean, or stare in disdain at the dishes of others who don't share my sentiments about a kitchen looking neat and not like a food bomb just went off. 

Maybe in some ways, cleaning is a remedy of mine. Physically going through the motions of cleaning helps me clear out my mind of the stress and worries that build up like so much grime. Perhaps that's why my mom likes having a clean house so often. When I was younger, if we had someone come over, she would usually say that "the house was a mess" and she apologized up and down about it, when in fact it looked fine compared to some of my friends' homes. I never really saw the harm in not cleaning so often.

Now that I'm on my own, though, and understand the value of owning things of your own, I take better care of everything, which includes cleaning even if things look pretty decent. A dish isn't just a dish; it's something I've invested in and though I could easily buy another one if it's cracked or broken, why go through the trouble of spending so much money when taking care of things better ensures they last longer?

So yes, maybe I'm a little bit insane in having a cleaning obsession, but there's method behind the madness.
 


Comments

Optimus_Inc

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 8:26:23 pm

Just a word of advice from a young married guy: don't EVER say, "I'm a lot like my mom," - no matter how cool your mom is - in front of, or to, your boyfriend, fiance, or husband. I'm just sayin'.

 

Megan

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 8:27:44 pm

Lol but I *am* a lot like her! At least in the aspect addressed in this post. It's the truth, and if my bf can't handle it then that's too bad :P

 

Samantha

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:30:43 pm

Ugh, I'm really obsessive about my kitchen! Don't make a mess where you eat! I never even have one dish in the sink...those go in the dishwasher! LOL.

 

Megan

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 10:32:14 pm

I wish I HAD a dishwasher! The school's on campus apartments don't have them. It would be nice though :) Maybe then I wouldn't have such a problem with the dishes thing. But really, leaving things out on the stove for 12+ hours just makes me bitter. Argh! Haha!

 



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