Do You Let Your Guests See Your Mess?

Last weekend, some friends of ours saw our house for the first time - and it was a complete mess! It was embarrassing, yes, but in the end they didn't care one bit and we had the best time chatting and drinking wine and beer on the patio late into the night. After they'd gone and a new week was underway, I realized that the mess more than just a mess...



Let's face it, I was pretty much a hermit from the time fall hit and Theo and I visited Zurich right up until the sun came out again just before spring break a couple weeks ago. Consequently, aside from Christmas when we had 20 guests, our house has consistently been at various stages of mess, ranging from cluttered-and-untidy to straight up frat-house level nastiness.

Friday was leaning more toward the frat house variety. So when I got an invite to meet some friends for dinner, I thought, "Great! Our mess will be safe and sound - and out of sight - at home!"

When dinner was finished, we were having so much fun and it was such a gorgeous evening it seemed a shame to all go our separate ways. So, I invited them to come hang out on our patio. The patio is looking great even if the house is a dump! But, having had a couple of beers, I completely forgot about that one room in the house. You know, the one all the magazines and Martha Stewart tell you to clean the best of all because it's the only place your guests really spend any time alone in your home.

Yes, the bathroom. When I showed my friend's husband to the bathroom, not only did we have to avoid toys and jackets and helmets strewn about the house in order to even get there, but there was a complete toddler girl outfit (probably wet) just hanging out, underwear up, on the bath mat. And the toilet itself was not sparkling by any measure. Oh, the horror!

In a feeble attempt to tidy up, I grabbed a few of the toys lying about in the living room and kitchen and put them away so at least no one would trip. Then, when when the bathroom was free again, I threw the clothes in the hamper and gave it a quick glance over. I was pleasantly surprised to see we had both a reasonably clean hand towel and a sink absent of fuzzy business growing on it. Hey, at least there was that, but over all it definitely needed a scrub, sweep and mop and the towel rack was overflowing and messy!

I apologized and, being lovely guests, they assured me their house is messy, too. I know that there are people out there who manage to keep everything clean and perfect all the time, and that is amazing, but I am just so not one of them. Since welcoming Theo to our family and having two children, it's all just proven to be too much. I often wonder if it would be the same if we were still in Kieselgasse. Probably. I like to think it wouldn't be, but it probably would be just as overwhelming. Two kids is the real deal.

As a mother and a writer, it's a balancing act. If the house is clean, then the blog posts cease and I don't write anything to submit for publication. If I'm doing a great job on the blog and writing other pieces, then the house is a disaster. It's a bit of a struggle, but one that I'm pretty grateful to be able to grapple with each day. I was chatting with my friend Rachel about it yesterday and then I happened to see the article A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Mom, by Kim Brooks this morning. I read it while nursing Theo before we got out of bed for the day, which seemed especially fitting. Brooks does such an incredible job of articulating the opposition between creativity and parenthood and the tension it creates for the artist or writer as a parent. Art is, after all, the process of breaking down and unpacking, while parenthood is the daily practice of tidying up and keeping it all together. They are truly at odds. Brooks' message is almost starting to seem hopelessly depressing when it comes around full circle by the end. While parenting and family life may limit our creative expression for lack of time and head space, it enriches our understanding of life and can serve as the most beautiful of muses.

I realize that the full-on mess since Theo was born has been a lot about my feeling wretched. I need external order in my life; and I feel ready to create it. This time with little children in my life is flying by, and I certainly don't want to miss it. But it's important to fill one's cup, too. So tonight, while J's at class, I'm going to declutter the rest of the house (I already tackled that bathroom!) and have everything prepped to deep clean in the morning. Then, I'm going to work on a schedule that includes time every week for me to go to yoga, and write, and have some head space of my own.

Three cheers for spring, for coming out of hibernation and for another step forward in the process of moving onward!

Do you let guests see your mess? What's your mess really about? Do you spring clean your heart and mind as well as your home?