A Tidy Dysfunction

Yesterday was one of those days when I was feeling overwhelmed by the unfinished projects around the house.  Instead of worrying about the big projects, I was overwhelmed by the little things.  The things out of place that stay there too long until they become permanent fixtures...those things are the bane of my existence.  I literally hate those things.  The stack of magazines on the floor.  The Christmas presents on the dining room table.  The few things set out to return to people.  Ugh.  That stuff just drives me up the wall!  Yesterday it was the loose cable wires around my computer.  

We have one of those old desktop computers with 32908523 cords and that were just sitting under the desk, tucked "away." The cable cord wasn't properly attached to the modem, so it fell out frequently, sending no-internet mayhem through the house.  

Enough was enough and I was becoming crazy.  When the kids were napping, I used my precious baby-free-time to conquer the cords, or at least clean them.  I posted about it on Facebook right before I did it and that seemed to really help.  I asked for advice and well-wishes.  My friends were kind, gracious, humorous, and very helpful.



I decided that the dirty floors and cords were at war and robbing me of the play-day-at-home that I envisioned.  I wanted to play with the kids and enjoy the peace of no constraints on our schedules, but how can one have said peace when there is vital work to do?  I felt a pull and a nudge to calm my heart with prayer and maybe some time reading my Bible, but the opportunity to clean and bring order seemed like a better route.  



I started cleaning.  Vacuum.  Dusting Rag.  Me on the floor underneath the desk.  Someone suggested black flexi conduit, and I loved that idea.  When the kids woke, I threw them in the car and made a dash for Home Depot.  I had a long conversation with an employee trying to explain something technical with my simple laywoman terms. I bought a drainage tube for the cords...like what one uses on the exterior of houses with the gutters.  It was white.  Color me elated!!!



I got home and wrapped things up.  The After Picture, The Result, was thrilling.  I felt so good.  Finally, at the almost end of the day, I could relax.  I talked to John about it later, because it kind of felt wrong.  "I want to be a person who can have peace without having things in order, but I want things in order."  It hit me...it's just like drug addiction.  I needed that order.  I needed to clean one thing.  Tackle one obstacle.  Just one hit of cleaning and I could keep functioning.  Hi, my name is Meg and I have a tidy addiction.  



The drainage tube turned cord corral was genius.  It's a great idea and it highly beats the zips ties that I tried.  That's not the moral to this story.  Actually there is no moral.  Just a confession.  Just me trying to find a balance of nice home and nice-enough-focus-on-real-life homes.  But, seriously, it's great to have the desk looking nicer.