Have you ever wondered what apathy looks like? Have you ever driven by a house and thought to yourself, "How do they live like that?" If you have, then you may have driven by mine. Here are some pictures so you can get the full effect, I didn't pick up anything so it looks just like it normally does.
Does it look like no one in this house cares? I do but I need help. We don't have a garage which is a big part of my problem, there is nowhere to store those things I would normally put out of sight. Beyond that I just can't seem to keep up with both the inside and outside. The inside of the house is somewhat cluttered but clean. I can see the surface of all workspaces and there are no piles of papers or books. It is all the energy I have to just keep the inside looking that way though.
It never works for me to tell the kids to go outside and pickup trash that has blown on the property. I can give specific instructions to put the stuff in the carport away but it is just thrown somewhere else. The front "porch" is only as clean as it is because I've made a concerted effort to keep it cleared off the last 3 weeks. To be honest I can't even step into the shed you see in one of the pictures because something fell over in there. I've cleaned out that shed at least 4 times this year but it seems that it's impossible to keep it clean.
So I need some constructive thoughts on what I can do to get this place cleaned up. I'm having a difficult time motivating myself and my family. I would love to build another shed or something to contain some of the mess but we just don't have the money right now. We have to get the washer into an enclosure by winter so all of our monetary resources need to go towards that project.
2 comments:
I got such a kick out of your post! For some reason, it tickled my funny bone.
If you can't keep your outside items contained, they will naturally ended up spilled all over the yard. I think it has to do with the 3rd law of thermodynamics.
Suppose you have a group of toys in the living room. You pile them neatly. They will inevitably get used and strewn into disorder.
I think your choices are to live with it until you can get another shed or constantly pick it up. I can picture myself staying inside so I don't even notice the outside!! You might try taking 15 minutes after supper so that the 3 or 4 of you can go outside and do a sweep of the yard together. That would need to be done every night.
Which do you think is easier - constant vigilence or learning to shrug your shoulders and live with it?
I guess it makes sense but I would love to at least have them stay in the general area that they belong in.
I stay inside for the most part because it's too hot to do much else. Unfortunately I have to walk through the carport and around the house to hang up the laundry and water the garden. It's when I'm standing there doing these things that the mess starts to bother me.
Maybe I can get some things picked up and then do nightly checks while I'm watering. I guess I just wish that the rest of the family cared a little more about what the property looks like :(
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