Clutterphobic

Today I have been painting my kitchen cabinets. It is very satisfying to see them go from dark, dated wood to a rich cream color. It is a rather tedious process though and it has taken a lot of will power to continue on when I would rather sit down and read or write or just relax in front of the television with my husband. I started working on them back in the fall. Because I have limited space I can only empty out a couple of cabinets at a time. Then I have to clean, sand, prime and paint. Then the waiting begins for the paint to cure for a few days before I can put everything back on the shelves. By this time I am getting antsy to get everything back in its place. Afterward I, being clutterphobic, need to have a few days or weeks of order before I can begin on another couple of cabinets. And so the process continues. I am hoping to have them all finished no later than the end of February.
I don't know exactly when I became clutterphobic. I find now that I get easily agitated when things are in disarray. Maybe that stems from the fact that I grew up in a small house with five brothers and sisters. There was always a lot going on and never enough room for everything. Then when I went to college I lived with my oldest sister and her family. Again there was a lot of activity around me. When my children were young they had a lot of friends in and out all the time and there was hardly a moment when there were no toys, books, games, and schoolwork lying about the house. This never bothered me much back then but after my girls went off to college and I got used to the quietness of the house, I also got used to having things picked up and neat. Now if I have a houseful of people for an extended period of time I have to try very hard to keep my nerves in check. Of course, drinking helps. There is nothing like a nice mixed drink to ease me into a jolly mood. Give me a whiskey and I am happy as can be. So, if you'll excuse me, I am going to go mix one up now and try not to look at all the food stacked on the countertop and table waiting for paint to dry. Cheers!