I really love the idea of being a clean, organized, neat person. Although, there has to be something in my blood that prevents me from being this person that I desire. This doesn’t pertain to personal hygiene and I am not a gross slob, but I am not one to have a clean floor and a made bed at all times. It’s just not going to happen at this point in my life. I hope that one day in the future, maybe when I become a real adult, I will become this person, but for now I’m content with my messy-clean self.
Life as a messy-clean college person goes like this: everything is clean, you just moved into your apartment and it is spotless and it’s going to stay this way all year long! You love the idea of everything being neat, and you see your roommates are organized, so you will be too. You invite some friends over to show them your new apartment, it becomes a little less than spotless, but that’s okay because you’ll clean it tomorrow. Tomorrow comes around, and you clean up, but just enough to make it presentable again. Two weeks goes by and you’re killing it with this being clean thing. You’ve done laundry, there are clean dishes, and your floor is in tact. You can handle this. Another two weeks goes by, and this is where it goes downhill. Water bottles are on almost every flat surface, there are mismatched socks on the floor and your bed is definitely not made. While this mess kind of bothers you, you learn to live with it because there are more important things than staying organized right now. You’ll pick things up off the floor, still do your laundry and make the room acceptable to the standard of living. One day you walk into your room or kitchen and find yourself stressed, and a little disgusted when looking at it. It has become out of control. This is when you crank up the tunes and have a massive cleaning spree. Then you’re back to square one, and the cycle repeats.
This probably isn’t a good habit to have, allowing myself to get to the out of control stage in the first place, but that’s part of the messy-clean person I am. The problem is that I am not a proactive cleaner. I clean if it’s out of control, if my friends are coming over, or if I need to impress anybody. The thing is, I’m just never trying to impress myself. I’m comfortable with living in my own mess. It’s weird because I don’t hate cleaning. I would even say that I enjoy cleaning at times. I use cleaning as a way to relieve stress, or to procrastinate for an exam. It’s a straightforward project that allows me to escape from all the other crazy things going on. So why clean as you go if you can save it for a better time?
While being messy isn’t a great thing, it’s not the end of the world. This is an important thing keep in mind, especially if you are living with roommates. Your roommates will most likely have different habits than you. So if you are a messy-clean person, and you live with a clean freak, they’re just going to have to trust that you will get around to it. If you're not a messy-clean person, and don't understand how one can live this way, do not worry, there is a method to our madness. While my room may look like a bomb has gone off, I'm somehow able to locate most things. I consider this a talent.
Maybe this is just a phase that I’ve been going through for the twenty years I’ve been alive, because I’m convinced my habits will change one day. For now I’m sticking with the messy-clean person lifestyle that I know best.
