Perspective is a funny thing.
Things aren't always what they appear.
Let's play a little word association game. If I said, "perfectionist" you might say, "neat freak". But is there any chance you would say "hoarder"? Not likely. The thing I've been most struck by on the shows about hoarding is that for many it really seems to be rooted in perfectionism.
One lady spoke of her dish collection (gasp! I hear all you tablescapers holding your breath. LOL!).
She bought tons of dishes. Even though no one could possibly come to dinner at her house. Even though she barely had room to make dinner for two. Even though those two had to eat in separate rooms. Why? The dishes were a symbol of the perfect dinner she would make for her family.
The need for that perfect family dinner was so strong it affected her perspective. She could no longer see the stacks of things in her kitchen that actually made it dangerous to cook. She could no longer see the precarious path from the front door, to the one spot to sit, to the stove. All she could see was the Norman Rockwell moment those dishes represented. So the dishes became more clutter.
The good news is she was making progress with the help of her daughter by the end of the show. But it made me wonder.
Where is the point that the perfectionism which drives the "neat freak" to be critical and controlling becomes the perfectionism that drives the "hoarder" to be lackadaisical and disconnected?
I received an advertisement for the Real Simple magazine in the mail recently. It had a Finnish proverb that said, "Happiness is the point between having too little and having too much". Well that makes it real simple! I hung it on my fridge with a bunch of other clutter.
So..I guess it all depends on your perspective.
Any one want some tea?
