Home Economics

I would have said a year ago, maybe even 6 months ago, that I can't stand living in a messy place. I don't like clutter and I don't like dirt. I do not often frequent my husbands office because it's usually the messiest place in our house and since I have no idea how he would like things organized (which after 5 years I must assume that he doesn't) and so much things are in piles on the floor with only a small path to the desk and the closet. However, I think my priorities have changed with working full time and commuting so far.

The small amount of free time I have nowadays, I don't care to take up with doing laundry and cleaning the kitchen (which unfortunately you have to do when on those rare occasions you choose to cook). I like to read, I read a lot, but I'm also actually a pretty slow reader so it takes a lot of time. So when I'm home and I'm finally relaxing after a day of trying to be an extrovert when I am naturally an introvert (which is exhausting) I have to choose between folding the laundry that's been sitting in a basket for a week, or reading my book in the bathtub...hmmmm

I understand there are an awful lot of single guys on this website so you might be reading this thinking to yourself "Who cares? I couldn't care less if you lived in the back of your garage without plumbing!" and to a point, you're right. Most people who visit us don't care if there are dishes in the sink or a basket of laundry in the living room. But I have to admit, it's gotten a little worse than that.

Up until this morning there has been two loads of laundry on the floor in our living room that was slowly co-mingling with a growing pile of dirty laundry for the last 3 weeks until we could no longer tell where one pile ended and the other began and there was no longer a floor but only a small hiking path up the side of the mountain.

Along with that, our kitchen was beginning to have a distinct smell to it (hint: when you make broccoli it's best to do dishes right away, broccoli smell is invasive).

And the last thing I will mention, and I'm am NOT proud of this. Our toilet has certain things growing on the inside that I'm pretty sure are related to the mold family. I can't be positive, but mostly I just don't look and get out as fast as I can.

What's really interesting is the conversations this situation has led to.

Ben: "You dumped the clean clothes on the floor!"
Crystal: "You put them on the bed. I wanted to go to sleep."
Ben: "So why didn't you put them away?"
Crystal: "Why exactly did you pile them on the bed?"
Ben: "So that you would put them away."
Crystal: "Is that why you make nice neat piles of all the dirty dishes?"
Ben: "Yes"
Crystal: "Instead of just loading the dishwasher?"
Ben: "...Yes!"

There have been times when I purposely didn't clean up stuff just to see at what point it would start bothering Ben. I have never actually found his breaking point, I think I would go insane before that ever happened.

Ben: "The garbage is getting full"
Crystal: "Is that why you're so delicately laying that on the top of the pile that's already overflowing?"
Ben: "Yeah, as long as it doesn't fall..."
Crystal: "How much more are you going to put on top?"
Ben: "Until all the garbage magically disappears and the can is empty again."
Crystal: "Hmmm"

Ben is actually fairly good at helping around the house, but again, communication is key. And when communication is working then normally all is well. But considering my schedule and his hectic school schedule, we are blind, deaf, and apparently willing to put up with the smell of our habitat.

Sometimes, when it's really bad, I think to myself, "Maybe we can just move and leave everything dirty right where it is".