“Helpful” organising

I’ve been at my folks’ place for nearly two months now and I think they’re ready to see the back of me. Not because I’ve (necessarily) been a handful to have around, but because I have been cleaning and organising and rearranging things like a madwoman.

But then, when it comes to certain obsessive-compulsive behaviours, some people will say that it’s less that I’m acting like a madwoman and more that I am a madwoman.

It started rather innocently when I realised that their scanner was tucked away in a corner of the dining room, only to be brought out when something needed to be scanned. The reason was simple: There wasn’t a convenient place for it by the computer desk.

So in my very special (slightly bossy and controlling?) way, I surveyed all of the bits of furniture on the main level of the house and I began to think about how I could rearrange Mum’s computer workspace to give the scanner a useable home. That meant moving no less than six small bits of furniture. And as I cleared off various shelves to make the move, it also meant me suggesting that various children’s books or otherwise unused and unneeded stuff be passed on, donated, or thrown out.

That soon meant that Mum was busily moving around her various knickknacks so that they could be better displayed with the new furniture layout. It also meant that what began as a simple plan to make the scanner more accessible meant that I caused a bit of change around the house.

Then a few days later, there was more change that needed to happen (in my mind, not necessarily theirs). And more change. And more change. And I’m not done yet because it seems that yesterday’s fairly simple task of moving some stuff around on the back porch has led to a complete blitz of the kitchen – cupboards and all!

That Crock-Pot? Certainly, it would be better up there, which will free that shelf there for more cookbooks. And now that we’ve moved those cookbooks from over there, why don’t we put these jars of dried pasta here? Oh! And what about this? Certainly, this will be more handy and accessible? Yes? No? And what about this stack of paper lunch bags? Mum decided that Royann could use them for her children. And these old things and those old things? How about them?

I’ll be heading back to Scotland in a few days and I think that my parents will be breathing a sigh of relief when I’m gone. After all, it must be exhausting watching a very bored and slightly obsessive-compulsive woman when she’s running around like mad trying to find something to keep her occupied.

Oh! And Mum has an actual to-do list of things she actually wants me to do. So I should probably work on those things before I leave, too.

Yeah, I really think I need to get home and get settled into my PhD programme. So that my parents can relax, if nothing else!