She has a place for everything on her desk. The pens go in a cup with the pencils, next to the lamp that's on the far left corner. Her laptop goes right in the middle, for convenience obviously. She has a marker board calendar on the wall right above it, so she can always see what homework is due that day.
Who is she you ask? She's my roommate. And yes. She's a neat freak.
Her side of the room is spotless. And mine? Well, mine is not.
I don't really think of myself as a terribly messy person, but to my roommate I probably am. We definitely have our different views on the meaning of "clean." Her motto would probably be 'A place for everything, and everything in its place,' while mine would be something more like 'It's just going to get messed up again.'
So just for fun, here are viewpoints from both sides (the neat freaks and the slobs) on the same matter.
1. The Bed
Neat Freak: Must be made. What's better than coming home to a neat and freshly made up bed? If it's not made, then at least the pillows and blankets need to be on there.
Slob: Who cares to make the bed before they leave? I'm already in a rush to get out the door on time. And when I get back home I'm just going to mess it up again anyways.
2. The Bathroom
Neat Freak: Bathrooms should smell like a nice aroma of Febreeze and Pine Sol. The trash should never be full. The mirror shouldn't have smudges on it. The sink shouldn't have water or toothpaste all over it. Just no. My ideal bathroom sparkles.
Slob: It's a bathroom. I'll spray some Febreeze if it stinks, but it is a bathroom. There are going to be some smudges on the mirror, sometimes you have to look really closely at yourself when you're doing your makeup. Sometimes toothpaste falls off your toothbrush, oh well. It's a sink. It's going to get wet anyways, that's what it's designed for. And why would you have a trash can right next to the toilet if you didn't want it to get used? If it starts getting full, just push down on it a little.
3. The Clothes
Neat Freak: Clothes have specific places that they go: the hamper, the closet or dresser drawers, and on your body. That's it.. Not on the bed. Not on the back of the chair. And definitely not on the floor.
Slob: Sometimes you just don't want to keep wearing pants, ok? You just take them off, throw em on the floor, and get in bed. Sometimes that happens everyday... And there's a pile of dirty clothes by your bed. So what? That just makes it easier to do laundry, you've already got a pile started!
4. The Car
Neat Freak: Your car is not a home. You do not live in it. You use it for transportation, to get you from one place to another. You can bring stuff with you to that place by using the car, but it is not a house that you store things in. If I can't get in your car without moving things or stepping on something, you need to clean it.
Slob: Cars are great inventions. You can basically live in one if you wanted to. I leave an extra set of clothes in my trunk just in case I want to change out of my outfit that I wore that day. You can never go wrong with keeping a pair of flats in there, or a jacket in case you get cold. It's a good idea to keep a pillow and a blanket in there, too, because naps are necessary (especially in college). If there's stuff on the floor, just scoot it with your foot or throw it in the back, it won't hurt it. And no, don't ask me when the last time I cleaned or washed my car. I probably can't remember anyways.
5. Cleaning Day
Neat Freak: You mean everyday? Cleaning is like a fun time passing event. Sometimes I just do it when I'm bored. In college, if my roommate has her stuff everywhere, I'll just straighten it up for her if I have nothing else to do. There's nothing better than turning on music and cleaning the whole place. I feel so accomplished afterwards.
Slob: You mean chore day? Ugh. Usually on Saturday, after I wake up at like 12. The only reason I'm doing this is because my roommate or my parents have yelled at me more times than I can count about how messy I am.
Whether you've got OCD or a bad case of laziness, there's something we can all agree on: we all keep each other on our toes. Not everyone is going to see things in the same way that you do, and that's ok. Sometimes life is messy, and you have to learn how to enjoy those parts, just as much as the parts that are squeaky clean and seem almost perfect.
