That Doesn't Belong There

I have clutter anxiety.  This was clear from a young age when my younger sister and I had to share a room.  There was an imaginary line on the floor so I could have my own area that was always neat and tidy.  Even then, I couldn’t stand to look at her clutter and would usually shove her stuff under the bed or, in moments of desperation, ON the bed if I thought it would get her to clean it up.  It never worked, but I still tried sometimes.  (Sorry about that, loving sister.)

JD is very patient with my obsessiveness.  He’s not messy, but he’s not a neat freak either.  Then again, I have pretty high standards.

When he walks in the door after work, I’m excited to see him, but am easily distracted by his motorcycle boots on the laminate, threatening to scuff the floors.  Or the dirty lunch container he didn’t rinse out and left in the sink.  Or the mail he left unopened in a pile on the counter.  I’m kissing him hello, but my mind is screaming “Take off your boots!  Put your dish in the dishwasher!  Take care of your mail!”  (For this and many other reasons, I’m terrified to have kids.)  

Unfortunately, JD’s activities seem to involve clutter.  He’s always working on a bike, or cleaning a bike, or finding reasons to leave bike-related crap around the house.  We use our 3rd bedroom as “The Man Room,” because we don’t have a garage or a shed, but JD “doesn’t like going upstairs if he doesn’t have to,” which usually means he leaves his stuff downstairs.

Bike parts in the dining room.

 Bike parts on the kitchen table.

Bike taking up my entire front walkway.

Bikes in The Man Room

I realize my feelings about cleanliness are truly an obsession and there are more important things I could be worrying about, so I try to contain them.  Still, sometimes I can't help myself and one of my internal thoughts will burst out.  He'll be trying to tell me about his day and I'll blurt out "Are you really gonna to leave that dish there?"

JD may be exhausting, but I guess I'm pretty exhausting too :)