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The other day I talked about ironing napkins…and being a perfectionist. And I did do all that…BUT did I mention that the downstairs got ‘perfectly’ clean but the other 3 storeys were a wreck?

WHAT?

Yeah, I know. And no, I am NOT a hypocrite. Normally, this house is pretty middle of the road…straight and mostly clean (except for PanKwake’s room which she can only tolerate me straightening once every week or 10 days…oh, the joys of autism). But far from either obsessive-compulsive or perfect.

But I will admit…it has not always been so. In fact, you could/can tell my mental health by looking at my house. It was a cycle…when I was up, things went pretty well. Then I got busy or down and the house went down hill faster than I did (back to that autistic kid thing). And the only way for me to start feeling better was I had to get to the point that I was sick enough of it…and my attitude. Then I started cleaning and organizing…and I started feeling better too.

Of course now, I have Cookie Monster so I try harder…and besides I am happier anyway.

THEN we have the carpet man in to work on the stairs. It was supposed to be one day…1…ONE. Last Wednesday…and the mess is still lying all over my house. Did I mention ALL over?

But this is about more than kvetching. The point is:

It is important to find that happy middle ground between total mess and perfection…and that middle is different for every one.

And when you are a family…it is important that it be more of a joint decision. Which is why it is so much easier for me to keep this place clean…because I want to do it for him when I would just let it slide for me.

As always though…today I pulled myself up by the boot straps and not only is the downstairs is good shape (napkins still nice and neat too), but I made a further dent (a rather respectable one actually) in the rest of the house. And I did it all…working around someone else’s mess.

Yes, the carpet remnants are still in way too many piles all over the place. But our bedroom and bath are the peaceful refuge I like to create for him after a long hard day at work. And just as importantly…my study is looking pretty good too.

Oh…and yes, the carpet fitter is supposed to be back tomorrow to finish. And if he is not then we have decided together to move it all to one area of our choosing until he finishes. If he don’t like that…too bad.

Sometimes you just gotta reclaim your space in order to calm your spirit. And I am definitely doing both.

So where’s your middle ground? Do you like us have ‘that one messy room’? What throws you off your game? And how do you get back?