When Your Home Is Your Prison

Over at Marie Cecile blog she brought up an interesting topic about reorganization that got me thinking. What comes first to many of us, a home that is spotless at all times? Or a lived in home where people feel comfortable?

As you all know I have had a bad dose of flu this past week or so and have basically ignored the housework in favour of bed rest. You guessed it. Yesterday we had a visitor and the house was a mess any other time and the house would have been OK with its cosy lived in look. Why is it that people seem to choose our 'bad housework days' to pay us a visit?

You know the old saying 'cleanliness is next to Godliness' there is also the opposite when many women and men turn cleanliness into obsession.

As I commented to Marie Cecile on her blog. I remember two ladies who were obsessed with cleanliness. One lady had a velvet lounge suite which was her pride and joy the problem was she couldnt stand anyone to actually sit on it. Once when a group of us descended on her we all sat on her lounge suite, while she sat on the edge of her own chair I could tell that something wasn't right. It was only when one of our friends got up that I discovered what it was, the lady of the house immediately ran over and began brushing down the lounge so that it all looked 'perfect'. This knowledge then had me in a lather wondering if I was messing up her perfect lounge. I ended up sitting on some cushions on the floor as did the rest of my friends while we were waiting for her kids to get ready to go out.

Another time many years later I visited a friend at her home. All went well until my friend discovered her husband had taken one of her magazines from its rack, this sent her berserk. My friend then yelled at her husband and ran around the house looking for this particular magazine. Eventually she found it and then proceeded to place the magazine in alphabetical order. As she ran around fussing over this one magazine I then noted how perfect her house was. There wasn't a sign of dust or anything out of place. Her house was a showcase home. It made me and my other friends too scared to move in case we 'upset' or moved something that would annoy her.

What I discovered was that these ladies had created 'chains' they did not enjoy their homes they had made themselves prisoners of it.

When it comes to your own homes do you keep it absolutely perfect or does your home have a cosy lived in feel?

If you do keep a cosy, lived in home do you encounter criticism from others?

As for me am I the only one who seems to get visitors on the days when the housework has NOT been done? Heehee!