CONFESSIONS OF A NEAT FREAK, or, How I Wish I Could Just Leave My Clothes All Over the Floor

I am a human being with flaws. I am a control freak, I drink too much coffee, I spend too much time on the internet, etc. But here is the worst one of all: I am a neat freak.

Many people would argue that this is not a flaw, but an asset. To some extent I would agree with them; I don't have the "messy gene" that a lot of my friends have, and my apartment is always clean. However, it is that way because I am always cleaning. There is always something for me to clean. I can't stop.

For once, I wish I could just leave something messy. I'm actually jealous when I walk into my freinds' rooms and they have clothes strewn all over the floor or bed. I envy the people who can leave their dishes to wash until they actually feel like doing it. I want to go a day without feeling like I have to clean something right away. Every morning when I change my outfit four times (as I tend to do -- another flaw, whatever), I can't just leave the discarded clothes on my bed, oh god no! They have to be re-folded or hung back up in the closet. After I have my bowl of cereal in the morning, I automatically go to the sink to wash it. If I spill something on the counter, out come the Clorox wet wipes to wipe it down. And all the hair that collects on my bathroom floor? That gets swept up at least twice a week.

I'm not saying I want to be a slob or anything. I don't even want my apartment to be "messy," I just want to be okay with leaving things to be cleaned up later. I would get more satisfaction out of cleaning, and I wouldn't feel like I have some internal force compelling me to make sure every surface of my living space is spotless. I guess that's just something I'll have to work on.