by T.L. Winters

Created on: April 21, 2008

While I was looking for a title I ran across this one and thought it said "Signs that you are POSSESSED. Wow! Some people are possessed and they are going to tell us the signs! I really wanted to read this, but, alas...I was mistaken. Too bad, I really needed to know those signs. You know...my sister and all. Anyway, I can still contribute to the article.

Being obsessed. I've been accused of it. I've been called a few things too. Disgustingly organized, crazy up-tight woman, Repeat-Reorganizer...and a few other not so polite imaginative things.

I personally don't think there is anything wrong with me. In my opinion, when you buy striped towels and the stripes run up and down (not back and forth) then while they are hanging in the bathroom...the stripes should all go in the same direction. It is more pleasing to the eye and has a look of organization. The same with mini-blinds. They are purposely made with equal amounts of space between the slats. This tells you that while hanging, the space between each slat should be straight across and equal to all the others. It is easy to do. There is no reason why they should be crooked and look like a monkey hung them up.

Did you ever really look inside your dishwasher? There are little separators meant to keep your dishes in a position where they will all get equal amounts of water, which will assure clean dishes. One dish per space right? How come everyone doesn't know that?

I decided to re-do my kitchen floor. When I first moved in, there was linoleum with a pattern that annoyed me. It was a yellow background with brown squiggly lines that I would see in my head when I closed my eyes. To this day I can still see that ugly pattern. (It's still in the pantry). So I had my brother, the tile expert come to tile my floor. I picked out two different shades of tan quarry tile. I told my brother, "No pattern...lay them as they come out of the box. I don't care what it looks like." Do you know that I can actually pick out a pattern on that floor?! Nothing that sticks in my mind but if I'm talking on the phone and walking around the kitchen...I can make a stepping pattern using only one color! I realized it one day and almost had a stroke. Now...no matter what I paint, build, cover or clean I make every effort to eliminate ANY pattern that I may be able to pick out when I'm not aware of it. Does that make me the opposite of obsessed?

And do you know what symmetry is? It's very important to me. Sometimes...even in my head I imagine anti-patterns but they are all symmetric. I know...I sound crazy. Perhaps that is obsession, in which case, that's my sign. But I'm OK with it. I really don't think it's a problem.

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