My mother didn’t throw things away. We hadn’t discovered The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up with the instructions to throw out things to make space. We simply shifted our detritus around. Putting things away meant nothing to the inhabitants of the house, because we didn’t have a system of where things went. Clothes and shoes went in the bedroom closets, jackets went on hangers. Everything else was loose. Toys piled in our bedrooms lacking a toy box, books shelved onto precariously stacked milk cartons and scattered on the floor when we ran out of space.
You know what’s funny...my sister was a super neat freak before her marriage. I would always complain because if I left my drink on the table while I went to the bathroom, when I got back it had been thrown out and the glass was cleaned and in the dish rack. I’ve always been the messy one. Hatred of that house and a stressful environment created what you grew up in.
Thank you, Emma, for framing my complex relationship with my stuff. I just purchased a new home where I am determined to have it free from miscellaneous items. I worry if growing up in a cluttered-filled home has rubbed off on me. Soon I will know. Fro now, my intentions are set. Wish me luck.
"She wanted to manage her feelings about the house and raise children, but it was like trying to merge discordant sounds of an old Natalie Cole album from a brand new stereo and passing street sirens."
You know what’s funny...my sister was a super neat freak before her marriage. I would always complain because if I left my drink on the table while I went to the bathroom, when I got back it had been thrown out and the glass was cleaned and in the dish rack. I’ve always been the messy one. Hatred of that house and a stressful environment created what you grew up in.
I'm starting to underatand why I freak out and start throwing shit away. 🤣
Stuff
Thank you, Emma, for framing my complex relationship with my stuff. I just purchased a new home where I am determined to have it free from miscellaneous items. I worry if growing up in a cluttered-filled home has rubbed off on me. Soon I will know. Fro now, my intentions are set. Wish me luck.
"She wanted to manage her feelings about the house and raise children, but it was like trying to merge discordant sounds of an old Natalie Cole album from a brand new stereo and passing street sirens."
I love this sensory description.