An undeniable truth
The knowledge that my mother is coming over — unlike any friends or even houseguests — inspires me to do a really (comparatively) thorough job cleaning up. This is because my idea of pretty much ok is her idea of barely livable, mostly due to my aversion to floor washing. (Planned: a swiffer purchase, along with Becky Hirta’s trick.)
Actually, my place was getting pretty bad, and I couldn’t seem to bring myself to do anything about it (desperation rears its mighty head). I know there is some connection between depression and lack of cleanliness, but I am never clear which direction the causal links go. (Probably both.)
February 28th, 2006 at 4:39 pm
I tend to want to keep my parents, or any family really, far away from my living situation.
This is to say, I live in relative filth that my relatives need not experience.
One of these days myself and my roomates should remember we are not in college anymore and perhaps the act of cleaning should be one less frowned upon and avoided.
But it is way more less hard to not clean.
February 28th, 2006 at 8:19 pm
The problem is although we all intend to clean the floor eventually, why do it right now? You can always put it off — until your mother is coming. :>
February 28th, 2006 at 8:54 pm
The dirt / depression thing is a dialectic.
February 28th, 2006 at 8:56 pm
For me, depression means less cleaning, but, yeah, seeing the mess makes me more depressed. *sigh*
Fortunately I have a friend coming over the weekend, so I will at least clean somewhat. No one, not even my mother, inspires deep cleaning, though. There will be cobwebs.
February 28th, 2006 at 11:42 pm
She is not coming over, yet. Which is too bad, but hey: I got a fair bit cleaned up.
Deep cleaning is not what I’m going for. Livable is. And it’s almost there. My room needs some help, but even that is getting somewhere.
Luckily I’ve not lived here long enough to have cobwebs.