The hoarder inside
A close friend from work once said of me and my organized office “If people saw you at work, they’d never believe that you live this way you do.” (On second thought, that makes thing sound WAY worse than they actually are. I’m not a slob, I swear. It’s just that minimalism is a concept lost on me.)
I read a tweet posted by my friend Howie back on March 4th.
Instead of “Hoarders”, A&E should make “Neat Freaks”. In each riveting episode, someone will tidy up & use a Swiffer.
Frankly, I think he’s onto something. People who love to scrub and wash and dust (à la Monica Geller) freak me out. Don’t get me wrong, I recognize the importance of things being clean, I’m just satisfied to live in a jumble rather than spend my free time lining everything up into rows and columns in order of size and by colour.
That said, I do like to categorize and the simplistic side of me would like to say that there are two types of people in this world: neat freaks and hoarders. By default, I must accept myself as the latter. I’m a hoarder.
For the first time, I caught an episode of the show of the same name last night. That was interesting. And it convinced me that either I’m wrong about my two simple categories or I am a failure as a hoarder. I could be so much better at it!
Obviously, I’m not too bothered by my status, although I would downgrade it to pack rat. (Denial? Perhaps.) The sentimental side of me rules a lot of the time and, as a result, I collect. I admire friends who are rigid in their list of things to keep and their ability to get rid of the rest, but it just isn’t me. Not all the time, anyway.
After saying all that, I’ll let you in on a little secret… my apartment is in serious need of some attention. After the recent loot-fest that took place at my grandparents’ place, I amassed a lovely collection of trinkets from my past and my history. A whole lot has come into the joint, but nothing’s gone out of it. That needs to change.
It’s funny that when I googled hoarders, alcoholism came up high in the search results because, let me tell you, with just the thought of diving into this, I sure could use a drink.
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April 5, 2010 at 8:15 pm
It’s a wonder really, that we are even friends. You know how I roll. Less is best. But lately, I just can’t stand cleaning. I want no part of it. As a result, my floors are very, very …er..sad.
But you’ll do it. you’ll do it on your own terms. That’s just how you roll.
April 21, 2010 at 9:54 am
I liked this post very much as you always have great insights! I have been thinking about how easy it is to let things get out of control! I love watching hoarders because it motivates me to clean up! Often after watching it I find myself throwing stuff that I no longer use and so it prevents clutter from building up. Ahh, now hoarders buried alive is SCARY!! Great insight Carly!