The Pros AND Cons of Tidying

I LOVE this article because it speaks to every fiber of my core and I WISH it inspired my family just as much as it inspires me.

Growing up, Grandma and Mom always used to say that "Cleanliness was next to Godliness" and they then proceeded to show me how to clean something using a proper tool and disinfectant. Mom was a little more extreme than my Grandma. Mom was more strict than this article too. Grandma though? She allowed things to be a little messy but showed me how to "tidy".

The pros of keeping things "tidy" is that you have a lot less to do come "cleaning day". The thing is? This article speaks of mothers and mother in-laws and I'm going to bank on the fact that since the author of this article has a home of her own that her parents on both sides probably don't deal with a ton of mess-- PERIOD!

There are days in my own life when I feel like I'm just the maid. I've LITERALLY had the kids and husband walked over my hunched self to walk onto a floor that I'm trying to clean and DIRTY what I had just mopped on my hands and knees.

NOW!!!! Before I have WWIII on my hands with comments let me make something abundantly clear! My family doesn't do that out of malice. They DO respect me. And they DO love me. And I DO NOT ALLOW them to "walk all over me"-- pun intended!

But here's the thing... my family doesn't have my personality and that doesn't make them "mean" or "disrespectful". They are just part of the blissful few that think ALL the cleaning can be accomplished in just a few hours. And they are that way because they literally are not wired the way I am.

Before I read this article I used to think that my own personal hell was being the only neat freak in my clan of humans and furballs. AND YES! EVEN FURBALLS can be OCD! We had a few growing up that didn't DARE mess things up on Mom LOL!

But as I read some of the comments I saw a pattern. There were some that were upset that everything was left to them but they gladly cleaned out of the love of their family. Others were on the brink and feeling almost depressed that no one seemed to care how long it took them to accomplish simple tasks like vacuuming a floor. And then there were others that are like my family.

The Pros of being tidy are clear. The more you clean up daily-- the LESS you have to do weekly. However, there are definite cons to this when you have fibro.

Most people with fibro tend to be Type A people and they want nothing more than to have a tidy home so they WILL over work themselves until the house is clean and sometimes that includes doing the evening dishes and even the laundry from the day into the late hours of the evening.

If I'm considering an aching back for a clean kitchen then that is a CON! Yes I tend to try and make a place for everything so it's easier to clean up after the pets and family. I DEFINITELY have less furniture and tchotchkes that the majority of people do but I'm fine with that! And I'm fine with that for two reasons.

One, the home is pet and children friendly. I RARELY have to move something or protect a child/pet from danger in my home.

Two, it's spiritually wonderful for me too because I like, as Gandhi puts it, will Live simply so others may simply live. This simple phrase has always, always made me think because I want to make sure that I am being a responsible consumer for the people that can't always afford things. What do I mean by that?

I've lived to see a second hand movie go into a movie theater and I could go see it for 25 cents. YUP!!!!!! You saw that right! 25 cents!!!!!!! And no! I'm NOT Betty White's age thank you very much! When I went into the theater I could get a large bucket-- not bag-- BUCKET of popcorn with 2 drinks for $5. I was a cheap date. ;) And YES! The bucket had significance because you could both hide your hands in the bucket without the parentals seeing you hold hands! You can't do that with paper! LOL!

I'm digressing a bit BUT you get my point about how little SOME things cost just a generation ago and for some people going to the movies is just a yearly event because they can't drop $100 on tickets AND food. They also probably don't buy as many health and beauty products, clothes, snacks, OR go out to eat as often either. It's just TOO expensive today for the regular people that are just getting by.

So next time that you want to spend some money-- check for a sale on a major product and ONLY buy it then. If you can add a coupon to that-- go right ahead! The big companies are getting SO BIG that they forgot about the little people that probably can't buy their products. And seriously that IS a problem! Why? Because once a business relies on only ONE class to pay for their product they will usually wind up folding. That means people are out of jobs. It's just good business to cater to every social class that likes your stuff. Sure you may take a hit at first but it's better in the long run!

I'm digressing a bit again but I'm sure you get my point! Tidy when you CAN with Fibro. LOVE the people living with you EVEN IF they don't get you. And live as simply as you can so others AND YOU can simply live and LOVE in your life!

Stay fabulous!
Love and friendship,
Kimberley

http://thenester.com/2016/03/5-things-people-with-tidy-homes-dont-do.html/

For the First Time in Forever...

This is a mental health post for all of you suffering. It's been hard. I understand because it is hard for me too. There are days when I didn't think I could breathe in, but I found a way to breathe out. If you suffer from depression to the point where your life consists of a lot of bed rest and not much else, please understand that I have been there for a good amount of my own adult life.

There are days when I have done nothing but binge watch a favorite show from the past. I tend to binge watch "The Rifleman" because I miss watching it with Grandma. I also binge watch "Star Trek" because Dad and I used to watch it when I was growing up. Other favorites are the X-Files, Criminal Minds, Expedition Unknown, and Bar Rescue because my kids and husband love those.

Depression happens. It's pretty much a fact in everyone's lifetime. BUT living life is a choice. You can chose to live day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, or breath by breath. I have had the experience of ALL of these while going through my chronic depression in life. 

And now I'm HAPPY to say that FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOREVER I can wear my original engagement ring! FOR THE FIRST TIME IN FOREVER! Next goal is the wedding band and that’s not far behind! The scale might not have tipped much these past 5 years but my swelling, nerves, stomach, etc ARE FINALLY getting to almost normal. Next up is living day to day instead of breath to breath! It's a GOOD GOAL!

Stay fabulous!

Love and friendship,

Kimberley