Falling Into Cleaning

I don’t often have motivation for cleaning, but when I do, it’s often because I have visitors coming. I had run out of what steam was powering my motor to unpack and organize. Days passed and next thing I knew I grew numb to the clutter and disorder. That is never a good thing. So when my phone rang on Friday I had a renewed sense of purpose.

The call was from the mother of my best friend who recently moved to Texas. (Sidebar–EVERYBODY is moving to TEXAS!) She was flying into Dallas and needed a place to stay, hence my involvement in the event. I was like sure… nevermind that I am still unpacking, nevermind that only a week ago my apartment resembled the inside of a storage unit complete with the lack of light. I am apparently desperate for anything to kickstart my cleaning.

Fall usually moves folks to clean their homes, and in the past I have been nipped by the cleaning bug. I was immune to that bug this season. It is true though that knowing someone is coming over who isn’t immediate family will motivate me to clean, clean, clean.

For example, I don’t clean up when my brother is coming over, that’s my bro, I’ve seen his sink full of dirty dishes, I don’t feel I need to impress when he is coming over. Granted my home was neat when mr horrible arrived for his visit, and it didn’t become cluttered until all my boxes arrived, but I only cared that he didn’t take photographic evidence of my home with him when he left. Not about his opinion of my stuff, since it used to be his stuff too before I booted his lame ass to the curb.

The pressure of an impending visit increases my chances that I will find solutions for storage related problems quickly. I even committed and rearranged the living room furniture, something I had been on the fence about for several weeks! I cleaned my kitchen and chucked several items I kept thinking I’d fix or find a use for. In the trash they went. Talk about decisive. No holding back now.

I was unsure if I was taking on too much, but at the end of the day, it was manageable. It also helps that she saw me growing up. There’s less pressure to be perfect. She’s seen me at my most awkward, so I don’t think a  few boxes and slight disorder is going to be that big a deal.