Filthy Pigs
One of the things that bothers me is people who do not keep a clean house. It's one thing to be cluttered, it's another thing to be slightly messy, but it is a whole different thing to be a filthy pig. Then there are cluttered filthy pigs that just go beyond just being filthy pigs that stand upon Mount Olympus and stare down at the regular filthy pigs like lords and ladies. These are the filthy pigs of legend. These are the ones who clean up a little bit (organize, really) and then think that their house looks OK. They are so filthy (these pigs) that cleaning up a little makes them think the world does not see that they are filthy pigs. The thing is that, really, even though no one says anything, people know who the filthy pigs are.
You can go years and never dust and not be a filthy pig. Really, it's true! You can go years without dusting or vacuuming. You just have to make sure that you wipe your feet and keep changing your air filters and you can do without dusting or vacuuming for years at a stretch. You take out the fresh garbage every day, you keep your kitchen counters clean and tidy, you keep your bathroom cleaned up, and that's all you really have to do. You can do this on an at-need basis or just tidy up as you go along. It takes no effort. You have to be a really down the dumps filthy pig to not be able to keep up with that.
If you have small children you cannot go without vacuuming. It's not their fault, it's your fault, if they don't wipe their feet and track dirt and mud in the place. It takes a lot of rearing to get kids mentally prepared for thinking about things. If you have a kid who is 10 years old and is still bringing dirt and mud into the place, it's your fault. You have not done your job in rearing them. If the place is dirty because you have an older child who you will not clean up after anymore, that's your fault too. If your kid is over 18 and won't keep the place clean, you gotta kick them out. Motivate them to move. Have some rules in place that they simply can't live with. It's up to you. but you have to get them to go. You don't get mad about it, you don't become upset, you simply find the will in yourself to come to the understanding that you are better off without them. If you need their money to help support the household, then you take on the second job of being the maid and keep the place clean.
It's that simple. If you must have their income in order to live then clean up after them. Your house, your rules? Bullshit. That only flies when you can support yourself without help. If you can support yourself without help, you can order them to clean up after themselves and mean it. If they don't, then have them move on and you can live without them. If they are pigs but you cannot live without their support, then you have to clean up after them. That's their condition of living with you. And let me tell you something: They can live elsewhere without you without a doubt. They can live with friends, they can live alone, they can find a place to stay, all without you. You might think they can't, but they can. The only person in denial is you. They are young and can survive. You are older and can't fly by the seat of your pants like you used to. So stop the bullshit. Clean up after them. You need them, they don't need you.
And then you'll find out if you are a filthy pig or not. You might find out that it was not the kids at all, but you who are the filthy pig. You'll know if friends don't want to come by a lot, choosing to meet you at the restaurant, or they don't want to stay for very long, gotta rush off real quick. There will come a time when you close your eyes and open them slowly and see your place for the first time in a long time and realize that it isn't what you thought was. You thought it was clean and nice. Cluttered, sure, but clean and presentable. It isn't. The boxes are there, the old mail is there abundant and overflowing, the stains on the walls are there, and there is a smell that you haven't noticed because you have gotten used to it. Then it all comes together in your mind. The reason people aren't coming over, why they don't stay long when they do, and why you feel tired all of the time for no reason. It is that people don't want to come to a pig sty, don't want to have to hold their tongues about it, and you are tired because your subconscious sees the mess and is trying to tell you to clean it, but your piggy mind doesn't want to hear it.
The piggy mind. We all have a piggy mind. It is the path of least resistance. But the thing is, your mind works less with a clean house. Your mind is more at ease in a clean house. It is when there is something to do, something to clean, when your mind is working the most. You might not hear it, but it is screaming at you to pick up that piece of paper, put those clean dishes away, not wait to take out the garbage for another day. It is sitting on your head and making you tired. And the more you have to do, the more tired you are. It is the piggy mind at work. It is why you stuff things in a drawer rather than going through it and throwing out what you don't need. It is why you are keeping boxes that you will need one day in the future, even though that future might be 5 or 10 years down the line. It is why you don't empty the dishwasher until there is another load ready and waiting to go sitting in the sink. It is the piggy mind at work and it will work until you don't have anyone ever willing to come over to your house.
The truth of the matter is that your life will be better with a cleaner house. You mind will be at ease. Your friends will come over. You will not have to worry, consciously and subconsciously, about your living space. Your mind will be uncluttered and your life will feel uncluttered. You will be at peace, if only for that part of your life. But it is enough to help you feel successful in that one area of your life so that you can work on other areas of your life. The less stress in one area directly affects other areas.
That is unless you a pig. Then all of this means nothing.
;)
You can go years and never dust and not be a filthy pig. Really, it's true! You can go years without dusting or vacuuming. You just have to make sure that you wipe your feet and keep changing your air filters and you can do without dusting or vacuuming for years at a stretch. You take out the fresh garbage every day, you keep your kitchen counters clean and tidy, you keep your bathroom cleaned up, and that's all you really have to do. You can do this on an at-need basis or just tidy up as you go along. It takes no effort. You have to be a really down the dumps filthy pig to not be able to keep up with that.
If you have small children you cannot go without vacuuming. It's not their fault, it's your fault, if they don't wipe their feet and track dirt and mud in the place. It takes a lot of rearing to get kids mentally prepared for thinking about things. If you have a kid who is 10 years old and is still bringing dirt and mud into the place, it's your fault. You have not done your job in rearing them. If the place is dirty because you have an older child who you will not clean up after anymore, that's your fault too. If your kid is over 18 and won't keep the place clean, you gotta kick them out. Motivate them to move. Have some rules in place that they simply can't live with. It's up to you. but you have to get them to go. You don't get mad about it, you don't become upset, you simply find the will in yourself to come to the understanding that you are better off without them. If you need their money to help support the household, then you take on the second job of being the maid and keep the place clean.
It's that simple. If you must have their income in order to live then clean up after them. Your house, your rules? Bullshit. That only flies when you can support yourself without help. If you can support yourself without help, you can order them to clean up after themselves and mean it. If they don't, then have them move on and you can live without them. If they are pigs but you cannot live without their support, then you have to clean up after them. That's their condition of living with you. And let me tell you something: They can live elsewhere without you without a doubt. They can live with friends, they can live alone, they can find a place to stay, all without you. You might think they can't, but they can. The only person in denial is you. They are young and can survive. You are older and can't fly by the seat of your pants like you used to. So stop the bullshit. Clean up after them. You need them, they don't need you.
And then you'll find out if you are a filthy pig or not. You might find out that it was not the kids at all, but you who are the filthy pig. You'll know if friends don't want to come by a lot, choosing to meet you at the restaurant, or they don't want to stay for very long, gotta rush off real quick. There will come a time when you close your eyes and open them slowly and see your place for the first time in a long time and realize that it isn't what you thought was. You thought it was clean and nice. Cluttered, sure, but clean and presentable. It isn't. The boxes are there, the old mail is there abundant and overflowing, the stains on the walls are there, and there is a smell that you haven't noticed because you have gotten used to it. Then it all comes together in your mind. The reason people aren't coming over, why they don't stay long when they do, and why you feel tired all of the time for no reason. It is that people don't want to come to a pig sty, don't want to have to hold their tongues about it, and you are tired because your subconscious sees the mess and is trying to tell you to clean it, but your piggy mind doesn't want to hear it.
The piggy mind. We all have a piggy mind. It is the path of least resistance. But the thing is, your mind works less with a clean house. Your mind is more at ease in a clean house. It is when there is something to do, something to clean, when your mind is working the most. You might not hear it, but it is screaming at you to pick up that piece of paper, put those clean dishes away, not wait to take out the garbage for another day. It is sitting on your head and making you tired. And the more you have to do, the more tired you are. It is the piggy mind at work. It is why you stuff things in a drawer rather than going through it and throwing out what you don't need. It is why you are keeping boxes that you will need one day in the future, even though that future might be 5 or 10 years down the line. It is why you don't empty the dishwasher until there is another load ready and waiting to go sitting in the sink. It is the piggy mind at work and it will work until you don't have anyone ever willing to come over to your house.
The truth of the matter is that your life will be better with a cleaner house. You mind will be at ease. Your friends will come over. You will not have to worry, consciously and subconsciously, about your living space. Your mind will be uncluttered and your life will feel uncluttered. You will be at peace, if only for that part of your life. But it is enough to help you feel successful in that one area of your life so that you can work on other areas of your life. The less stress in one area directly affects other areas.
That is unless you a pig. Then all of this means nothing.
;)