Neat Freak

I just got in from an hour clean-up exercise in my boyfriend's small garden. It was a mess - much to my dismay. As I was trimming back unruly hedges and digging ancient dead leaves out of flower beds, I thought about my desire for order in my immediate universe. Yes, I am a bit of a neat freak.

Similar to other items in my life, this is both a blessing and a curse. A blessing as I always know where things are and my place and surroundings generally look great. A curse as I find it hard to relax if things are not in order. In fact, I will generally spend a good half hour each night cleaning up before I can even think about sitting down to watch a bit of TV or read a book. Ugh - frustrating.

It was tough when I was dating. I can think of a few guys who got the boot once I saw their apartments. Then I found my boyfriend and his slight sloppiness (he does a pretty good job) was outweighed by his personality, intelligence, and adorable smile. So, I find myself cleaning his place up on the weekends before I can settle down and get comfortable (he works on Saturday and I have the place to myself). I get a little frustrated sometimes at the little things he does: he never wipes up crumbs in the kitchen, he lets newspapers accumulate for a week or more before taking them to recycling, and he never ever makes his bed. However, it could be much worse and I need to work harder at letting these little things go.

Whatever the case, it can be annoying (both for him and me).