Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Woman! get your priorities straight!

Have you ever gotten your priorities a little backward? I think I’ve been doing it quite a bit lately. Those of you who know me may know that I like things clean. I mean I like no dirt AND no clutter. I try not to be obsessive about it, but sometimes the need to wipe down the counter overpowers me! Well getting married means I’ve moved in with two boys. Things have changed, to say the least. Things are louder, with more movement, more people, more stuff and more mess. But also with more fun! How is it that I let OCD Terri smother fun-loving, easy-going, carefree Terri? So the floor has some spots on it. So the cat hair is showing on the carpet. So there are a few glasses that haven’t been put in the dishwasher. More importantly there is a 10 year old boy who wants to show me a song on his guitar. There is a 10 year old boy who wants to play guitar hero with me. There is a handsome hubby who wants to sit down and relax with me. There is a handsome hubby who wants to cook a meal for me. At the end of the day, year, life, the number of spots I cleaned up, the hours I spent dusting or vacuuming, the loads of laundry I did aren’t going to count for much. Sure, doing these things will keep me sane. Cleaning can even be therapeutic for me. And it isn’t unreasonable or wrong to want to take care of my home. But at the end of my life I really want to turn the pages of my dusty memory and be delighted by the bright chapters of fun, laughter, playing, spending time with my family and friends and joy. Just plain joy. I think I’ll get started today. I mean it. I’m going to try to focus on my boys tonight and let the cleaning wait. Think I can do it? We’ll see!

4 comments:

Laura Barlow said...

hooray! i like fun T-bone better than OCD Ter-bear. YOU CAN DO IT! :)

Alexandra said...

You write really good! You should write a book!

Carly said...

You should write a book. And I'll endorse it. It'll say, "If you don't know how to read good, or do other stuff good, you'll want to read this book."

Great post! Keep up the great, hard wife/mom work. :)

Anonymous said...

That's so right on! Love your perspective. You sound so happy, Ter. I'm so happy for you! BTW, we are calling Claire "Claire Bear" and it reminds me of you :-)
Kim W.

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