Comfortable With Chaos
Written by Jen Friday, 01 July 2011 02:04
Blog
How embarrassed should I be that a neighbor keeps offering to help remove and trim back our overgrown trees and landscaping? This same neighbor came over himself and edged our yard. I'm fairly sure we should be horrified but quite frankly, I think it's great. He is my hero. (So is his wife, whose color acuity surely prevented our home from being a nasty shade of something-nobody-would-want-to-see.) Expertise is always appreciated here, especially from folks who don't query, "Hey, Dad, is this the on-button?"
Yet somehow, our nearly-manicured yard feels out of place. Married to a "project guy" for more than 20 years, I'm accustomed to a steady dose of chaos. Mulch bags piled in the garden, a shop vac (or several) set up in the foyer, half-painted rooms and parts of something-or-other strewn on the living room coffee table. Dorm accessories and a growing collection of my son's art supplies piled in the hall just magnify the chaos. My daughter, the orderly one in the family, seeks refuge in her pristine room. Sometimes I sneak in there just to breathe.
As summer swings into high gear, our private disorder is becoming more public. The grass will grow and that ladder will remain in the side yard for a bit longer. The open garage door will reveal a puzzling collection of electric hedge trimmers. For this I must apologize...and explain.
My spouse is an engineer. If you're a woman married to an engineer, you're welcome to join the club...dubbed "WOE" (Wives of Engineers) by my good friend, certainly a kindred spirit. We're used to the projects, the creativity, the eternal "I can do it better" mindset. (Admittedly, they usually can build it better, stronger and faster.) We're tough. We're survivors. And we're woefully underrepresented in households of fixers and wonderers.
So we've adjusted. In our post-evolutionary state, we're somehow more comfortable with drywall dust in our hair and caution tape across the back steps than we are with anything remotely associated with Martha Stewart.
As the weather warms and our household DIY projects become more visible, I beg patience from non-WOE members who may find our activity unsettling. Just remember, friends, that it's only three months ‘til fall and it'll all disappear from sight. We could, however, use some help with the leaves.
