Blog Dis
Motheritus Interruptus
2025-08-26
There is something strangely liberating about throwing out possessions, ridding yourself of clutter and papers and things. You feel like a lighter version of yourself. You feel free, probably due to the fact that there is the appearance of having less and creating more space.
I am reminded of the time when a friend in Montreal was adjusting to the addition in her family of a new baby boy, to add to the their little girl. My friend told me that she ran from morning until nighttime, finally passing out from exhaustion because of the heavy workload in managing not one but two children. Of course, I sympathized with her greatly. I've no children of my own, only ever had two kitties but I can attest to the hard fact that kitties are a factory of filth, creating hair balls like tumbleweeds where they lay or walk, spilling food crunchies onto the floor and scattering kitty litter granules, seemingly everywhere, in corners I had never thought possible, on top of the regular dirt that grows and grows, notwithstanding the ongoing accumulation of dust. I live downtown and this means that if ever a window is open, which they are on a daily basis, it's essential to maintain a schedule of dusting.
As for my Montreal friend, at the time she told me of her woes of raising two young kids, managing a household, and doing the accounting books for her husband's side hustle, I delicately reminded her of the condition called motheritus interruptus, whereby mothers are placed on the lowest priority and kids are number one. The house, too, suffers greatly, and the most important acts are, to be expected, preparing meals, laundry and staying on top of dishes. Forget about rest. Forget about being organized. Forget about being in control. How can you feel in control when you're still up at midnight handling scads of dirty laundry that is never-ending? And while you manage the loads, you contemplate the variety of meals that you need to prepare, three per day, seven days a week.
Professional organizers who come to your home and assist you with organizing your house or apartment will charge you a pretty sum. There is value, naturally, in shelling out this amount of money, if you can afford to do so. I can only attest to the fact that having an organized and clean home will make you feel powerful and will help you to move onto other projects because you'll not have a 'things-to-do' pile that continues to grow. There is nothing more debilitating than staring at a pile of sh*t which needs to get done and you fall into the habit of looking at the whole woodpile, rather than considering how to cope with just one stick at a time. And the woodpile keeps on increasing because if you procrastinate, you keep on adding more sticks to the ever-growing pile.
What is the solution? First take a week off and each day set yourself an agenda on what 'has' to be done, then draw up a list for the next day of what 'must' be done. Even if you get through half the list of tasks, you'll feel better, this I can assure you. Not all of us are naturally organized but I think in comes down to more of an attitude that speaks aloud, "I am in charge and I get to decide what stays and what goes, not the crap that is piled up in my closet!" These inanimate objects have no voice or control over you, so stop making excuses for them and kick them to the bloody curb. You'll feel better. If not, then crack open a bottle of wine and plan your attack. Even if you only do one thing, at least you'll be able to sit down, stare at your handiwork, while you glug a glass of wine and marvel and your organizational skills.
And old family friend was very fond of this expression: Don't brag about your intentions. Talk about your accomplishments.
Yes indeedie!
The foregoing is pep-talk for myself. I've got a front hall closet that is hiding terrible secrets, enough dust to choke my vacuum cleaner. So, when I next have a few days off together in a row, such as this coming Labour Day weekend, the goal is to tackle this closet or close my eyes and despise myself for being weak-minded. Failing this, I can always suggest to someone close by that we head to one of our favourite pubs, on one of the nights when half-deals are offered, and we can discuss what we each have to take care of, over a glass of wine.
Planning your attack is every important to ensure a win.
I am reminded of the time when a friend in Montreal was adjusting to the addition in her family of a new baby boy, to add to the their little girl. My friend told me that she ran from morning until nighttime, finally passing out from exhaustion because of the heavy workload in managing not one but two children. Of course, I sympathized with her greatly. I've no children of my own, only ever had two kitties but I can attest to the hard fact that kitties are a factory of filth, creating hair balls like tumbleweeds where they lay or walk, spilling food crunchies onto the floor and scattering kitty litter granules, seemingly everywhere, in corners I had never thought possible, on top of the regular dirt that grows and grows, notwithstanding the ongoing accumulation of dust. I live downtown and this means that if ever a window is open, which they are on a daily basis, it's essential to maintain a schedule of dusting.
As for my Montreal friend, at the time she told me of her woes of raising two young kids, managing a household, and doing the accounting books for her husband's side hustle, I delicately reminded her of the condition called motheritus interruptus, whereby mothers are placed on the lowest priority and kids are number one. The house, too, suffers greatly, and the most important acts are, to be expected, preparing meals, laundry and staying on top of dishes. Forget about rest. Forget about being organized. Forget about being in control. How can you feel in control when you're still up at midnight handling scads of dirty laundry that is never-ending? And while you manage the loads, you contemplate the variety of meals that you need to prepare, three per day, seven days a week.
Professional organizers who come to your home and assist you with organizing your house or apartment will charge you a pretty sum. There is value, naturally, in shelling out this amount of money, if you can afford to do so. I can only attest to the fact that having an organized and clean home will make you feel powerful and will help you to move onto other projects because you'll not have a 'things-to-do' pile that continues to grow. There is nothing more debilitating than staring at a pile of sh*t which needs to get done and you fall into the habit of looking at the whole woodpile, rather than considering how to cope with just one stick at a time. And the woodpile keeps on increasing because if you procrastinate, you keep on adding more sticks to the ever-growing pile.
What is the solution? First take a week off and each day set yourself an agenda on what 'has' to be done, then draw up a list for the next day of what 'must' be done. Even if you get through half the list of tasks, you'll feel better, this I can assure you. Not all of us are naturally organized but I think in comes down to more of an attitude that speaks aloud, "I am in charge and I get to decide what stays and what goes, not the crap that is piled up in my closet!" These inanimate objects have no voice or control over you, so stop making excuses for them and kick them to the bloody curb. You'll feel better. If not, then crack open a bottle of wine and plan your attack. Even if you only do one thing, at least you'll be able to sit down, stare at your handiwork, while you glug a glass of wine and marvel and your organizational skills.
And old family friend was very fond of this expression: Don't brag about your intentions. Talk about your accomplishments.
Yes indeedie!
The foregoing is pep-talk for myself. I've got a front hall closet that is hiding terrible secrets, enough dust to choke my vacuum cleaner. So, when I next have a few days off together in a row, such as this coming Labour Day weekend, the goal is to tackle this closet or close my eyes and despise myself for being weak-minded. Failing this, I can always suggest to someone close by that we head to one of our favourite pubs, on one of the nights when half-deals are offered, and we can discuss what we each have to take care of, over a glass of wine.
Planning your attack is every important to ensure a win.
