Obsessed

Written by Tom Being Tom

I want to clean my garage.

Standing alone, that statement is kind of bizarre. In almost every case, in virtually every household, that statement would read “I have to clean the garage,” or “I can’t go fishing this weekend because she wants me to clean the garage.” So, the singular premise that I’d want to clean my garage stands decidedly bizarre on its own.

What is even more bizarre is that I just cleaned my garage on Thursday. It is Saturday. Two days ago I cleaned my garage, and did a damn good job on it, and right now I want to clean my garage again.

I am obsessed.

But not only the garage, the kitchen cupboards, too. I’ve been sorting them and rearranging them, mostly because a lot of what was in my garage belonged in the kitchen. According to Mrs C there was no room for all that stuff so it all lay in boxes crammed into my garage. THE garage. It isn’t just mine, it’s ours, so I should say the garage, not my garage. The cupboards, likewise, are not now mine even if I’m the only one in the house who knows where anything is within them. In fact, I’m pretty sure if it became an argument she could prove inconclusively that the cupboards are hers, entirely.

But I fit all that stuff into the kitchen. She’s been a good sport about that. The point is, I think, that I’ve become obsessed with organization.

We can, if we want, blame my sudden compulsion on the fact that I own this place (or, the bank does, but I pay the mortgage instead of a landlord). It is mine (ahem, ours) so I am obsessed with laboring in and on it. Okay, fine. But, how does that explain my sudden obsession with wanting to rearrange the warehouse at work every Saturday? Explain that one, Sigmund.

I’ve always had a thing about organization, that’s not new. I like things in their proper place. But, at the same time, I’ve always had a disinclination to be involved summarily in the feat of organizing. I have been, historically and legally, a world-class procrastinator. Apparently that’s a thing that I’m not necessarily, anymore.

(be honest … that was a terrible sentence, wasn’t it?)

But back in September, when the boss said to me “I’m not gonna do this forever, we should find a way to make it yours before too long” and the realtor said to me, almost simultaneously, “Your landlord doesn’t want this house anymore, we should find a way to make it yours right now” and the Rams said, “We are sick of losing we should find a way to win games this year,” something shifted in the makeup of Tom and he became obsessed with ownership, organization, and excellence.

The talking about myself in the third person part has been with me a bit longer.

I don’t know why, or how, but that’s what happened. My ADD became OCD. I want to clean my garage.

Again.

Which is okay, really. I hate fishing, anyway.

51 thoughts on “Obsessed”

  1. Oh, I totally get this! I’ve cleaned ‘our’ garage every third day it seems since we signed those papers. Fallen leaves aren’t allowed to linger. No sir.

    There’s something so liberating about rolling that damn toolbox across the floor to a new and improved location. I damn near giggle when I hang stuff on the walls.

    Liked by 4 people

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    1. So it’s not just me then! I honestly spent 20 minutes cleaning a shelf, finding new spots for everything on it, because that’s where I wanted the toolbox to go. 20 minutes later I moved the toolbox back to its original location and called that particular part of the project perfect. 🤣

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      1. Ha ha ha! We’ve only been in our new townhouse two months and we’ve rearranged the garage and three rooms about five times.

        Liked by 1 person

      5. I know, our son is up from WA and is doing work for us. He keeps telling me the the work bench is only good for that if it’s cleaned off. Mike is a horder of things he hasn’t a clue that he has. But he might need them someday. 🤣

        Liked by 1 person

      6. You never know, right, Brenda?! 🤣

        It’s funny because since Thursday a few things have been moved out there and I’m feeling like there’s a better spot for some things. The adventure continues! 🤩

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  2. My first thought was, you might be pregnant with all that nesting stuff…jk. I think you’re obsesding, sure but it’s a good one. I don’t like thongs being moved around in my small place and when everyobne leaves I put it back where it belongs. A tablecloth being crooked and can’t pass by without straightening– think I’m ocd a bit : )) I also hate fishing.

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  3. I just read this and realized my typis. Let’s just say you’ll probably get a laugh out of thongs which was supposed to be things….Oh my….I’m red faced. Especially in context….I should quit while I’m ahead.

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  6. See if the garage were mine, I’d actually want to clean it. When I say mine I mean my house because I currently rent. And I’d want to clean it if my oldest son (who is 32) didn’t live with me temporarily (year and a half) and all of his things (crap) weren’t taking up all the space in there. I would happily jump on this garage band wagon (not garage band, like Pearl Jam) and put my stuff where it should go. But right now it’s a total mess and when I walk in there it’s messy garage anxiety! I’m actually throwing some of his stuff (crap) away a little at a time and he won’t notice. I’ll keep this up until I finalize buying a house or my car fits in there without me stepping on his hand weights or hitting his punching bad (by accident) but sometimes out of frustration because all his crap is literally EVERYWHERE!

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      1. Oh boy can I relate to those emotions. In my old garage, there was just too much damn stuff (crap), hers, mine, ours, and the MIL (mother-in-law’s). It was hard to muster the gusto!

        And I have to admit, after a few beers I start throwing away some of my stuff (crap) hoping that, tomorrow, I won’t notice. 😉

        Liked by 1 person

  8. I’m not quite at the same point yet, but I do clean a lot more than I used to. It gives me a sense of accomplishment and makes me more active in the real world, instead of disappearing down the rabbit hole of writing and reading and music.

    Obsessions that are practical seem… positive, in a way, or more positive, at any rate.

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    1. Everything in balance, as they say, eh? I could probably use a little less tidying time and a little more reading time but I figure as the “newness” of the moment dies down, a bit, and the sun shines on my deck once again, I’ll dig into the books. But who knows … I’ll just enjoy this obsession for as long as I can. 😉

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    1. If there’s beer and a TV tuned to the Rams down there (or, I don’t care, any football game) I’ll get right to it. 😉

      OCD? Maybe. I’ve always been more ADD, maybe I’m just making up for lost time. 😁

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  10. Years ago I read an article about how some writers find doing a few hours of housework prepares them for a few hours of writing—physically cleaning is also mentally cleaning. And it makes sense. Being a writer or artist takes at least a little bit of obsession.
    So you write about cleaning and organizing. That’s a win-win.

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    1. I can totally see that, Chris. Sitting in front of the computer screen – at home writing (or playing) or at work entering data (or playing) – is physically and mentally draining to me. Intoxicating, in its own way, but draining. When I get up and begin to move – to clean, organize, etc – my energy levels and mental capacity soar. I guess that makes sense, it’s exercise, right?

      Thanks for the validation, my friend, and a new perspective on my obsession. Time to get to work … and love it!

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  11. Oh I relate to this big time. Procrastination is almost a full-time hobby of mine, but when the mood takes me, I will get that room colour-coded, cross-referenced and can tell you where anything is with my eyes shut. Organisation is my other hobby. I like a place for everything and everything in its place. That doesn’t mean I’m minimalist or even that tidy. I would describe my home as comfortable and user-friendly, but it’s organised. The joy of moving into our own home with CUPBOARDS TO PUT STUFF IN! So, I totally get this. A big part of it is I’m lazy, so I need my home (and work) to be efficient. I can’t be doing with moving 4 things to get to 1 thing! And being organised and making life easier frees up more time to do the reading etc. 🙂

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    1. Gosh, you nailed it EXACTLY! I am forever trying to figure out a way to make it easier to get to everything I need to, instantly. When the mood strikes I want what I want when I want it; I don’t want to have to do four things to get to one! Amazing insight and analysis, and ya just made me look at my own psychoses in a whole new way. 🤣

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