Around the Edges

Inspirational song: Save It For Later (The English Beat)

I have been a champion procrastinator for a very, very long time. That's not generally something to be proud of, and this case is no exception. Today, the inertia that held me captive lost a round. It helped that one of my bonfire buddies came over and provided the catalyst to make things happen around here. I begged for help when I was at the last gathering, and I swore to her that I would have been happy if all she had done was sit in my living room with a beer, ordering me around, setting me on all the piles of household detritus that sat around so long I stopped even seeing them anymore. To my great surprise, my friend did so much more. She let me pretend that I was calling the shots, but more than anything, I was just trying to keep up with her, so I didn't feel like I was inferior to her cleaning and organizing skills. Together, we cleared out nearly everything that clogged the horizontal surfaces, things the professional service will not be touching next week. We even tackled things on my honey-do list, like un-sticking the ladder that the electrician left wedged in my garage attic access when they hooked up my tankless water heater. Thanks to her, my cold air return has a clean filter and grate, too. I couldn't do this alone, because the grate is right at the top of the stairs, with the hinges on the wrong side for easy access. If I had fallen off of whatever chair I would have climbed to reach it, and gone down the stairs, I can't guarantee anyone would have found us before my animals were forced to use me as food. Not the end I would choose for any of us.

It makes for such an attitude change, having all the edges opened out again. You just don't realize how much can stack on top of a dresser, or tucked into or on a little living room table. Clutter is so insidious. It sneaks up on you, when you don't notice it accumulating. Before you know it, it is overwhelming, to the point where you just look at a surface, and think, I really should sort that out. And if you are like me, you always add "later." Today, later finally arrived, and I feel so much better. I have a great sense of peace. And an immeasurable debt to my friend. I think she owns me now, for months to come.

Each step I take in this nesting cycle, preparing the house for my man's vacation, makes me feel that much closer to his arrival. This was a long time coming, and I had started to doubt that I would ever get here. I learned how to live alone, but that doesn't mean I want to do this all the time. In fact, if this ends up being the last time I have to do this, I would be totally happy about that. Something tells me there will be more trips like this lurking in the future. But I will worry about that later. Maybe I can find comfort in procrastination after all.