A sigh of relief.

Are you like me?

Do you compare yourself and your home to other people?

I have fussed at my wife for this very thing a great number of times. She will visit someone and say that their house is so beautiful and why can't our house look like that? Never mind the fact that they may have an income that is triple what ours is and they hire people to do their landscaping and decorating. Never mind that they have no children and spend all their money on art, furnishings and knick-knacks, where as we have an average of 1423 kids, some of which even belong to us, coming through our door everyday for this that or the other thing.

We have bikes in the front yard and toys all over the living room.

The top of the TV is covered with games that are played with regularity, movies that were watched and not put away, movies that were rented and either not returned yet or not watched yet, remotes that work and some that don't.

The kitchen has dishes that have not been washed yet and bread that can't find a place to live. We have limited counter space so that the microwave, toaster, coffeemaker, and medicine box are all constantly vying for position.

The computer desk is covered with printed papers that seemed so important at the time and yet they sit here for days gathering dust waiting to be discovered by the next generation of archaeologists. (Wouldn't that be a great scoring word in Scrabble?)

As I sit here, these are the things that are on the computer desk: Besides the computer monitor, tower, printer and mouse, we have a stereo with accompanying speakers, three open stacks of Cd's to burn, a Game Boy, nail clippers, a hair tie, Cd's from the library, Cd's from our own collection, a dog collar, two candles (one of which has about 2 mm of wax left in the bottom), a greeting card, an empty Welches Grape Soda bottle, two empty Diet Pepsi cans, the hook half of a hook and eye latch, a paper towel, a cook book with "365 Favorite Brand Name Casseroles & One Dish Meals", bank statements (which reminds me), tax forms (which reminds me again) student loan paperwork, a permanent marker, the remote to the stereo, the remote to a DVD player that doesn't work any more, the instruction manual for an eight track player (just kidding), and a coffee cup (travel size from Pilot).

And this desk was just cleaned off yesterday morning. Or at least that was the instructions I left with the two oldest "not yet supporting themselves" residents of this abode.

Which brings me back around to my original question of this post.

Do you compare yourself with other people and their homes?

I have and still do and so it is with great thanks and a large sigh of relief that I send a Veritable Monster of an "Atta-Girl" to Ann. Your post, Ann, regarding Working in Balance has freed me from my insecurities and my need to conform to the world's view of style. After seeing the pics of her computer desk I am very relieved that I alone am not fighting the war on clutter.

I no longer feel that everything in my home has to be just so and always in it's place. I do not have to have a table completely clear of everything except that precious antique bowl I found at that quaint antique store run by that cute antique woman in Woonsocket, Connecticut, which is filled with fresh fruit (the bowl, not Woonsocket, Connecticut) that my children and I picked at the Amish farm down the road on a family gathering.

My bed does not always have to be made within 30 seconds of me vacating said bed. (Besides, my wife is usually still in said bed.)

The dishes can sometimes wait until morning.

As long as I can reach the keyboard, the computer desk will still work with some extra clutter on it.

But the garbage and the dogs have to go out NOW!

Thank you, Ann. thank you very much.