Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Chaos and Clutter

     My wife and I are orderly people and minimalists.    We abhor clutter and by many standards we have a sparsely decorated home.  It is our choice and if others wish to live differently, we say enjoy you life style.     As a senior couple we have developed routines and live with very little chaos and clutter.

     We are often blessed with several day visits by our daughter, son-in-law and now two grandsons.   You can imagine how this changes our environment.   Our routines are thrown into disarray.  Changing from a household of two seniors to a multi-generational household of six presents a whole new definition of order.   Don't get me wrong.  The clutter that comes is a joyful clutter of an active 4 year old playing with a multitude of toys that Nana has accumulated.   And the new infant grandson is a delightful distraction as he gurgles in delight at the play items in his view as he lays on the living room floor.  All the clutter for the visit I would classify as good clutter.   The kind that has purpose and entertainment.

    Post the most recent visit our household has bounced back to our old routine.  By gosh, I sure do miss the chaos of the latest visit.  Now we have to entertain ourselves with other activities and savor memories of the good times with family.

    My thoughts about chaos and clutter other than the above have as well been sparked by travels in the countryside of Cortland County, New York scoping out derelict silos of defunct dairy farms.   Sometimes I come across boneyards of inoperative machinery cluttering the surroundings of the farm.   My sense of orderliness is offended by some of these eyesores.   If I was couple of decades younger, I think I would start up a scrap metal business and harvest these boneyards.  On the other hand, I do see some operational dairy farms with machinery parked around the buildings in somewhat disarray.   Since they are being used, I would classify them as good clutter.    Perhaps, I just don't understand a mind set that is willing to live with what to me is an excess of things and a chaotic environment.  

    To each his own.  In my professional life, I have encountered colleagues who had both totally chaotic offices and totally pristine offices.   In both cases they were exceptionally productive.  Each of us knows what works for us.

      

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