Day Five - Better Homes and Gardens

   Reality doesn't change. But perception does. I know this is a blog about becoming a sparkly marshmallow, but sparkly marshmallows aren't ignorant of the dark, they just try not to live there. In this particular case, dark and sparkly are more literal than they should be. 

I didn't notice it when I was a kid, but I grew up living with hoarders. Not my lovely mother, she wasn't a hoarder, she was just messy. But both of my aunts, who I stayed with often during our half year trips south, were. The kind you see on TLC. The singular pathways through the home. The beds were clear, mostly. But when I was younger, I really didn't think anything of it. I knew it wasn't normal, but it was my family. I didn't mind. I was a good monkey, climbing over stuff, through stuff, wasn't hard. The stacks of stuff were taller than me, every surface was constantly cluttered. There was no room for productivity. No room for anything. 

And I've been a messy person ever since. It's not an attractive trait, I realize, but for the vast majority of my life I really couldn't care less. Ask anyone that has ever ridden in my car. They will tell you. But all of that is changing. Hoarding is a mental illness. My aunt has 2 houses because the first one couldn't hold all of her stuff. I'm not kidding.

But now, it's like a light switch has turned on in my head. I refuse to be that way, constantly surrounded by shit that always in the way and completely useless. I refuse to be messy. My life, my space is going to sparkle and smell like Lysol and fresh laundry. It is going to be Better Homes and Gardens clean. Because I've seen what's on the other side of procrastination, because I've seen what it can become. My house will be beautiful, and I will have guests over, and they will always feel welcome and comfortable. My kids will grow up in a clean house, with lots of free space. No clutter, no hoarding, nothing. Usable space. 

Though, I do have one concession to make, and maybe someone will be able to convince me of it in the comments, but... really, what is the purpose of dusting? I still don't get it.