Lower Your Standards

Photo Credit: Cartoon Stock

Well, this post could go one of two ways: I could get flak about it or rave reviews. To begin, let me tell you a story:

Once upon a time, there was a young woman who got married. She and her husband moved to another city and started making friends. The young woman had very high standards on how clean a house should be when having friends over. Her house had to be vacuumed AND mopped. All knick knacks had to be dusted. All beds had to be made. Her kitchen had to look like no one cooked in it. The front porch and the back deck couldn't have one leaf on it. Basically, the house had to look like no one lived there. It was exhausting.

Four years later, that woman started having children. The couple still had friends over. However, the woman, now a mom, didn't have the energy or time to clean her home the way she used to. The floors got mopped less frequently. Not only did the kitchen looked cooked in, but the breakfast dishes were still out on the table. At 5:00pm.

She began to feel bad about herself. Then she realized something: her house is not a reflection of who she is or what kind of wife or mother she is.

So go ahead...lower your standard of clean. Please stay off of the show Hoarders though. Remember to not aim for perfection (because it's exhausting and not truly obtainable) or let it define your worth.