9.28.2008

Prunes and Windex

My favorite joke of all time says, "I suffer from CDO. It's like OCD except all the letters are in alphabetical order like they should be." This makes me laugh so hard because it is way too close to home for me. For example, each of my housecleaning tasks are assigned a day of the week. The bathroom gets cleaned on Tuesdays. However, last night I put my littlest ones in the tub and, as I stood in the bathroom, I noticed a little lotiony handprint on the mirror. So I got out the windex and paper towels and washed the mirror. It was getting steamy in the bathroom, so I opened the window. It was looking dirty, so I grabbed my windex again and washed the window. As I was washing, I saw that someone had dribbled toothpaste in the sink. Putting away the windex, I reached for the clorox wipes and wiped down the sinks and countertop. Then, because I already had the wipes out, I wiped down the toilet. Meanwhile, my poor kiddos are turning to prunes in their tepid bathwater.

Why can't I channel this compulsive disorder to work where it needs to? Why do I not feel compelled in areas of my life that really matter? Why doesn't this same disorder work when it comes to being physically fit, or serving my neighbor, saying my prayers, or preparing meals for my family? Instead, it seems that things that really matter (kids in the tub, perhaps) get sidelined for details that are so insignificant. I'll work on that. For now, I think that the pizza delivery boy is here, and is that a spill under the kitchen table?...

2 comments:

Britany said...

oh you should have a newspaper column, Ike Graham. Crack, KC, and I are big fans. You could post every day.

Sarah Stokes said...

Tooo funny it's me -Sarah, one of the extraordinary housewives. I found you through Lana, who says you are a crack up, so I thought I would see (read) for myself, she was right, your poser post was way to close to home to laugh though :)
Great stuff I will be checking back often!