July 2021--It’s been more than a year since I started cleaning out my house. There is a lot that amazes me about this process—first and foremost--that I actually stuck with one thing so long. I’ve had a habit of starting something and not finishing it.
But this I am determined to finish. I have no choice if I’d like to sell this house. (I highly doubt the new owners would have an interest in souvenir tickets from a 1988 White Sox game or a birthday card mailed to me in the early 90s.)
I am not officially a hoarder—but I am a pretty intense saver. I’ve saved everything—even the projects I started—or meant to start—but didn’t finish.
Came across wood shapes that were going to be Christmas ornaments. The box they were in even had a few jars of acrylic paint and brushes. Two had already received the first coat of red and green paint. Not sure why I didn’t finish them. But obviously putting them all neat and tidy in a box meant I did plan to get back to them. Just never did.
Also came across several books I started to read but didn’t finish. The telltale clue was a bookmark placed within the pages. Perhaps I meant to get back to finishing them or just didn’t care for the plot and had no intention of reading any further. Whatever the reason, these books reflected my inability to finish something.
One look in my bathroom cabinets reaffirms my inability to finish things. There are jars, bottles and tubes of various products that were going to lift sagging skin, erase fine wrinkles, whiten teeth, revive that youthful glow, and so on. None of them worked. Or, could they have worked if I had finished the product? I’ll never know, as I see no reason to pack half-used containers and haul them to a different cabinet in a different house.
Opening up a few boxes I had stored away in a back room revealed scrapbooking projects that obviously got scrapped. There in all their glory were stickers, embellishments, stamps, papers, tape, stencils and a baggie filled with paper words cut out from magazines, plus photographs from vacations and other events from a long, long time ago. Not to mention, several empty scrapbooks. All neatly positioned waiting for me to come back and finish what I was going to start.
My kitchen pantry divulged it was not safe from this habit. Stored way, way back on a shelf were a few items we started but didn’t finish. Today I chucked an almost empty box of Cheez-Its and a jar of Skippy that just needed a few more scrapes. (Had I realized the Cheez-Its were there, I believe I would have finished them!)
I’m kind of the same way with movies and some of my favorite television programs. I start to watch but many times don’t see them through to the end. I know the reason why, though—it’s because I’ve fallen asleep. Ugh.
Cleaning my house was no exception to the rule either. I’m sure most people start cleaning a room and finish it before moving on to the next. That seems logical. But for some reason, I didn’t—and still don’t—clean that way. Drives my other half crazy—but after nearly 42 years he’s just used to it.
If I was in the kitchen and went to toss a dish towel into the washing machine, I’d take the sheets out of the dryer and walk them upstairs. Then I would notice a glass in the bathroom and walk it back downstairs and put it into the dishwasher. As I was loading the dishwasher, I’d grab the pot from the stove and notice the cooktop needed cleaning. I’d go into the cabinet to get the cleaner and would see the roll of paper towels was empty.
Off to the closet in the laundry room to get another roll of paper towels and it would hit me that I needed to straighten up that closet. And—while straightening up I’d see how many bottles of Windex were opened—started but never finished. So I’d start to consolidate the liquid into one bottle. Off to the recycling bin in the garage with the other empty bottles. While in the garage, I’d see a pair of shoes left there. Yup, you guessed it—I’d take the shoes to put them away. That usually meant placing them on the stairs so they could be grabbed on my next trip up—which wasn’t going to be long because I’m sure I’d be back up in a minute with my hands full of things that belonged up there.
People usually have a need for closure and like to finish what they’ve started or they tend to feel bad about it. They call it the Zeigarnik Effect. Heck, television and movie writers are well aware of this or they wouldn’t do so many cliffhangers.
Not sure if I’m missing that chromosome or whatever it is that makes you want to finish things—because that’s not always the case with me. At least with some things.
But, there are many times I totally take something from start to finish—like if people are relying on me. So to anyone reading this who asks something of me—like to help with anything—no worries—I’ll finish that.
Oh, and a glass of Simply Lemonade, a Hershey bar or Reese’s peanut butter cups. Yeah, I’ll finish those.
One day at a time…
コメント