Liberation

I recently read a book called Messie No More by Sandra Felton. I once heard her speak on Focus on the Family and thought I might like to read one of her books. I checked out this book assuming I fell into the messy category, expecting advice on how to run a cleaner ship. As I was reading I kept thinking "okay, when does she get to the part that describes me?" Because -shock of all shocks- the messy description was not fitting me. Imagine my surprise when I finally found my description...in the "average" section!

See, she divided housekeepers into cleanies, average (I think a better word is balanced), and messies . I thought I was a "messie" because I am sandwiched between two "cleanie" sisters, and that is who I compare myself to. However, the goal isn't to be a cleanie! Did you catch that? The goal is not to be a cleanie! Actually, they have their own issues, the goal is to be balanced. I might not always be ready for drop in company, but give me a few minutes and I can be. The beds might not be made, but they don't have anything piled on them. There might be cracker crumbs on the floor, but they will be vacuumed up in a reasonable timeframe.

The ideas in this book were recently confirmed. A few days ago, we cleaned the house spic and span, probably as clean as its ever been since Samuel was born. You know what? It was not. worth. the. effort. It really wasn't.

You don't want your family to walk on paths between all the clutter, but you don't want your family to worry about dropping a crumb or moving a cushion out of place either. The answer is somewhere in between. I admit, i'm on the messy side of average. I will work harder to be average but I will no longer hold myself to the "cleanie" standard of my sisters! :D Thats liberating!