Ahhh, another Fall Sunday. Football up the wazoo, pennant races heating up (not for the Yankees though, they're too busy boo-hooing a stadium they chose to leave so they could ramp up season ticket prices, add luxury boxes, and charge millions to companies to anchor various signage areas), and the weather was a glorious September summer day.
I think that the usual slight chill in the air was missing. The briskness that tinges the edges of each breath, the clear smell of an early autumn afternoon that invigorates as it cools was certainly lacking. Not that I'd know either way.
MBB mentioned last night that he had the unenviable task of cleaning up the garage after two months of bike storage, Costco purchase build-up, school supplies (on sale at Wal-Mart since JULY!) an errant van seat (that was actually gone a few weeks ago)and a few other itinerant odds and ends. As they say (or at least I do), neat begets neat. Alas, Mess begets Mess as well, and this mess was quite fertile indeed.
I really wasn't trying to compete with him (generally, it's a futile proposition) in the Worst Tasks to Complete on a Sunday or Ever games. But I won. Hands down. And I didn't even fully complete it.
What, you ask was this most horriffic of chores that keeps me up nights -weeks in advance, and mocks me for months on end until I finally succumb and get down to it? What could possibly put me over the edge so desperately that even if I'd only work for ten minutes I'd feel, UGH, just Ugh?
Sorting the kids' clothes. By Season, Size and Time for Goodwill. This has to be the worst job I can think of in my house. It's worse than shopping with my kids for new clothes. It's worse than cleaning up poop or throw up from the floor. It's the worst. Why? Why is it so bad? Lots of reasons. The main ones that stick out are:
a)If it's so cute and I've kept it so long how could I get rid of it now syndrome
b)What if one of them WILL wear it, even though no one has or has been willing to in the last, oh, seven years or so.
C) The volume. When you have lots of kids, all the same gender, they all need some new stuff every year, because they really don't want just a hand-me-down. So you get a new outfit or two, and suddenly they can manage very well on just those two outfits. So the old stuff just sits. The longer it just sits the less wear and tear it has, and the less wear and tear the longer you're likely to keep it.
Really, I sometimes think I'd like to chuck it all ( to someone needy, I wouldn't just throw it out), and start again.
I'll say what those Yankees are saying: Maybe next year.
2 comments:
i agree that this is the absolute worst job! I get tense just thinking about it. But there are also not so many jobs that make you feel as accomplished. And sometimes even 80 pounds lighter!! you should weigh what you are giving away and throwing away just to see. The bright side: you can go another 8 years till you have to do it again on such a big scale.
my van seat got an andy warhol mention yippee
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