A mental note I make for myself each and every year is to do a better job of organizing and keeping things neat around the house. I live with a military man who acts as my barometer when things begin edging toward chaos – in his mind anyway. So, when I saw this article on Shirley’s blog, I got a little excited: Say Yes to the Mess.
The article did make some good points, worth remembering, such as this one:
“It’s chasing an illusion to think that any organization — be it a family unit or a corporation — can be completely rid of disorder on any consistent basis,” said Jerrold Pollak, a neuropsychologist at Seacoast Mental Health Center in Portsmouth, N.H., whose work involves helping people tolerate the inherent disorder in their lives. “And if it could, should it be? Total organization is a futile attempt to deny and control the unpredictability of life. . .”
However, I was a bit disappointed in the article overall. It is typical human nature, I suppose, to swing to extreme one way or the other. Sure, people can over-obsess about neatness and organization in futile efforts to reign control in their lives. And that is not a healthy thing. But there is such a thing as too much disorder – chaos. Just as you can over-stress about “everything in it’s place” you can add unecassary stress to your life when that essential item or bit of information cannot be located! Yeah, OK, so I’ve been there. 
I dare say that if you fear the health departent setting foot in your home, you have some work that needs doing. A little time and effort spent on basic cleanliness and minimizing clutter is not a bad thing. Balance, people! We need balance! That is the goal I have set for myself this year – to keep myself balanced. I can become overly obssesive about things, and I can also let things go a bit too much. So my balance lies somewhere between minimizing stress when I can’t find something I need, or must clear the counters off before I can even make breakfast – not to mention keeping my husband happy – and minimizing the time I spend on trying to get organized and structured.
I wish each of you balance this year – peace. Happy New Year!
