Friday, March 27, 2009

Procrastinator Extraordinaire

I've been meaning to clean the carpet on the stairs leading down to our bottom level family room.

For three months.

When it comes to housework, I'm not a procrastinator. I appreciate cleanliness and enjoy the end result so much that I just do it. Admittedly I might be inclined to a little bit of grumbling while completing some tasks, but I still get it done. And on most occasions, with a smile on my face.

Cleaning carpet is obviously excluded from my "just get it done" list.
And DEFINITELY omitted from my no grumbling task list.
Let's face it, scrubbing high traffic carpet areas is not the funnest way to spend your time.

It makes your arm hurt.
It means you have to get up from the computer when you'd really rather read blogs all afternoon.
What Jenna ate for breakfast, what TOTUS has to say about "Big Boy" and Reality Steve's take on American Idol are all far more interesting than squirting Resolve on beige carpet and scrubbing vigorously.

Besides, twelve hours after you scrub out the dirt, tea dribbles, yogurt splotches and spaghetti sauce splatters (yes, we're slobs, well not ME!), they're back. Laughing at me. Cheering for their victory over my feeble attempt to make them sorry for ever infiltrating my carpet.

For three months I came up with all sorts of excuses.

"It's the weekend, what if Craig needs to use the compter?"

"The kids are in the house, they'll get in the way or need to use the stairs while they're still wet."

"I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow and will make them dirty again while carrying up fifty bags of groceries from the garage."

"Can't do it on Monday, it's a short day at school. Not enough time."

"Oops, I forgot. I'll do it tomorrow."

And my favorite, "But I don't waaaaaaannnnt to."

Today I gave those excuses a big shove, a punch to the gut and a round house kick to the forehead.

I cleaned the stairs.

They look so soft and pretty.
And I must admit that Resolve does have a refreshing scent.


I conquered my laziness.
I scrubbed with vigor.
I enjoyed the carpet's new found plushness under my bare feet.

And Caroline just clomped down the stairs in her dirty Crocs.

It was good while it lasted.

1 comment:

nancy said...

"And Caroline just clomped down the stairs in her dirty Crocs."
LOL!!
TWoP is the funnist site on the whole WWW. The last page of the American Idol results show recap is so hilarious. Their level of snark inspires me to want to improve my snark skills.
"cognitive dissonance: two opposite things that together make you feel like you have ferrets smashing trashcan lids together in your head."
Who thinks of these things?!
Brilliant.