What's In a Name and In a Closet??

A very important part of this blog's title hit me today. As I was cleaning out the house, touching up and sending out my resume, and delivering my salsa, I was thinking about this blog and about where I want it to go, the things I want to share, and who I want to share it with when it hit me..."daily". Oh my...I did say daily, didn't I? Well, by all means, daily is what you, mister reader, are going to get (at least for now). My life truly is a parade...it's a daily parade. And I guess I hope to share it with whoever in this crazy world finds it interesting enough to read, to connect to, to realize that there are other people who go through the same crap...(oops, we've decided to say "tar" instead of "crap")...other people who go through the same "tar", and maybe to find a smile and if we're lucky enough, maybe even a nice, little, honest laugh out loud every now and then. So daily it is. Buckle up. Here we go. Day 2.

After almost four years of living at our house it is absolutely astonishing how much...uh..."tar" we have accumulated in that short period of time. The day we moved into our home I told myself, "We are the first family to ever live here and we won't be the last. Macey, work hard to keep it as nice on the day you move out as it is today." I have to say, it's a LOT easier to keep a house clean that you know was never cleaner than the day you moved in. I know that every nick in the wall and every pile of dirt is MINE. And that's usually enough motivation to get me to fix the wall (or beg Sean to) and sweep up the pile of dirt. I take pride in keeping a clean house.

The motivation to clean has been constantly present for the last four years. But as mega consumers, we have stuffed this house and attic and backyard and every inch of spare space full of "tar". Closets full of clothes that are barely worn, toys rarely played with, and last season's "gotta have's" that now sit, taking up space. It's actually pretty sad. How much happiness did that stuff bring us? Not enough to avoid the ultimate fate of the black hole closet. I wonder if this is how the rest of America lives? I fear it is.

I guess the solace I find in cleaning out closets jammed packed with consumerism is that not only do I have a cleaner, more organized (and I feel freer breathing) house but that maybe by donating our barely used items we can help someone who doesn't have but a fraction of what this house holds. Let me be the first to admit, I love to shop. Even Gavin, when questioned about what mom's favorite thing to do was replied "to shop". It's true. The thrill of bringing home something new is intoxicating. But that high was cut off real quick after losing my job. Suddenly the impulse buying was quickly combated by an immediate image of myself shaking my own finger at myself , "Uh, uh, uh, don't you do it".

I think shopping, like sugar, is addictive (addicting??). It's a warm, fuzzy feeling that is short lived and only retained by continuously getting and having more. But losing a job and cutting it out cold turkey was exactly what this shopping junkie needed to realize that I don't need "stuff" for a warm fuzzy. I have an amazing family that gives me that same feeling every single day. And some times I don't even recognize it. Even if I'm ready to pull my hair out from whiny and argumentative kids, watching Zoey run through the house with her pants falling off of her lack of a butt and unknowingly displaying her crack is enough to forget all the hard times as I "crack" up laughing.

Losing a job just might be the reality check this family needed, especially me. During this recession (I realized how much I hate that word) and with the impending holidays makes me appreciate my friends and family even more. The reality is I don't need anything in this house. Nothing in my closets is ever going to love me back. But my family and my God always will. This I know for certain. I hope to emit that kind of love to everyone I meet. And I hope the day this family sees two incomes flowing into our bank I remember the over-stuffed closets, the pseudo happiness that the "stuff" brings, and that I will always appreciate the "stuff" I have that wasn't purchased at a store...my family and my friends.

I love you all.

Until next time. Mwah!