Fall in Love Again
Fall in love again–with your organized home.
We all know it happens. It’s no one’s fault and everyone’s fault. You just know each other so well the mystery has evaporated. Even those oh so familiar contours fail to excite. It gets to the point where all you want to do is escape. You start spending more and more nights working late at the office. You find more and more excuses to go in on weekends to “catch up on some paperwork.” The occasional dinner with clients runs later and later just so you can avoid stepping back over that threshold.
You finally have the big talk.
“I just need a change. I can’t stand another minute of this.”
Your closet just glares back at you. Unmoved. Arrogantly silent.
“We’re only going to move forward if we forgive each other.”
The closet hesitates for an agonizing moment and then says, “We’ll try one box at a time and see where we end up.”
And so, it starts. We must leave the past in the past, forgive our shopping transgressions, and have the courage to start fresh with no recriminations. That closet won’t organize itself.
If it’s gotten to the point where you’ve fallen out of love with your home, then an embracing dose of organizing may be just the trick to rekindle the romance. You know you’re at DEFCON 3 if your closets are full and you need extreme force to squeeze in one more hanger. At DEFCON 4 your closets are full of boxes and there are more stacks of boxes blocking your access to the closet. I can’t even describe DEFCON 5, it’s too horrible and calls for a nuclear response.
Everyone has a different tolerance level. You can still love your home at levels 1 and 2, but it becomes trying at 3 because your space is less functional and living your normal life starts to fill with small inconveniences. At level 4 you’re constantly working against yourself, and the dreaded ennui starts to envelope you. Your energy levels start to flag, and a gnawing anxiety begins to infect your daydreams. At level 5 you’re basically living in a rented storage unit and your possessions enjoy the house more than you ever will.
The military doesn’t define DEFCON 0, but we’ll invent our own category. At DEFCON 0 your home is not just functional, it is beautiful. It is your soulmate and a reflection of your dreams. This doesn’t mean expensive. Symmetrical, spare, harmonious, easy to talk to, a good sense of humor, can all be beautiful.
Instead of moving in with that new motel across town to escape the misery, let’s grab one hanger or box at a time and work together to rekindle the romance. Give your home a break, there have been mistakes made on both sides.
It’s time to fall in love with your organized home again.
