I've answered the what. Now comes the why...

Most people that know me well will finding themselves wondering, "Why would Gina feel the need to simplify her life?  She's a lover of all things simple by nature, and she always likes to have things organized & under control."  Why yes....yes I do, and by many people's standards, my home already appears to be organized and my life appears to be pretty simple.


But let's face it....I can't live my life based on other people's standards.  I have to have a life and a home that meet MY standards, and I suppose my standards are pretty high.  And when I look at those things right now, they are WAY, WAY, WAY off base!


So, where do these seemingly impossible high standards originate from?  Well, where else do such things come from?  My mother, of course!  :)  My older sister & brother and I grew up in a home that was kept immaculately clean and organized by pretty much everyone's standards.  I mean, we weren't even allowed to put trash in the bathroom trashcans!  Those pretty little wicker baskets on the floor were there for decorative purposes...not trash!  It was our norm, a way of life that we accepted succombed to.  And just like everything else that you do by rote, I suppose that level of cleanliness and order became ingrained in me to such an extent that everything else seems sub-par.


My mother and father's home is still maintained to that unseemingly high standard ~ even though my mom would argue that it's often "a mess" (whatever) ~ and while I often join with my siblings in some good-natured humor by poking fun at my mother about her impossibly high standards, I secretly take immense comfort in knowing that any time I go to their home, I am surrounded by all that order and cleanliness!  It truly is a respite for me.  Yeah...I know...I'm a freak! 


And so, due to the fact that I grew up in a home where I had to make my bed almost as soon as my feet hit the floor in the morning, a home where my dad swept and mopped the garage floor almost weekly, a home where my mom swore she could smell dust in the air, and yes...a home where we weren't allowed to put trash in trashcans, I find that I now have grown into an adult where the least bit of disorder or chaos puts me on edge.  And I find that I'm at a point now where things have gotten so far beyond my acceptable level of control that drastic measures have to be taken to get things back in line...and allow me to breathe normally again.


Why am I embarking upon this journey?  In the words of William Shakespeare, "Simply the thing that I am shall make me live."