HABITS

Ok, so I have a really bad habit.  I cannot seem to keep my car clean.  The inside of my mini van looks like a tornado hit it.  Don't get me wrong, I like to have a clean car.  I try and get to the car washed when I can.  It just does not seem to stay clean. 

I pulled out some interesting things from inside my car today:
An electric piano
A beach towel
7 plastic Target bags
A zip lock bag full of angry birds underwear
3 pairs of shoes including a pair of flip flops (why?  there are 6 inches of snow on the ground!)
2 hoodies
A diet Dr. Pepper can with a pop tart wrapper (that would be breakfast)
A Leapster
An iPod
A bag of Cheetos
The list goes on.

a partial view of the inside of my van

I try.  I really do, but I have four kids.  Dirt follows them like Pigpen from Charlie Brown.  Where they go, dirt and mess follow.  I suppose I have become immune to it.  My husband on the other hand cannot stand it.  It is his biggest pet peeve.  He hates to drive/ride in my van.  I get it, but I have trouble changing my mode of operation to meet his vehicle standards.  He keeps his car immaculate.  He washes it, waxes it, conditions the leather interior...you get my drift.  He always tells me that when you take care of your things, they take care of you.  Wise man.  I would be interested to see if his car would still be in perfect condition if he had to drive four kids around for a week.  Hmmmm....

I know I have many other habits that drive my husband crazy such as my inability to clear my computer desktop of all the random files that take up the whole screen, my need to run the washing machine 19 hours a day, that I use his hair brush when I have two of my own sitting on the bathroom counter, yada yada yada.  He is a patient man.   Most of the time he never mentions my habits.  I know he cringes inside, but on the outside he remains calm (and I go on with my crazy ways).

My husband, on the other hand,  has one habit that I just can't wrap my mind around.  He does not put dirty clothes in the hamper.  They go on the floor next to the hamper and on top of the hamper, but just not IN the hamper. 

It's funny how two people can have such different things that they can accept or that sets them off yet still function like a well oiled machine.  One of the biggest life lessons is learned when you share your living space and your life with another person.  That simple lesson is life is full of compromises.  If you cannot compromise you will miss out on so many of the joys life has to offer.  Being close minded and judgmental will only bring you grief.  My husband I don't have a perfect relationship.  We bicker about stupid things, but in the end I know that he is more than just the sum of his habits as am I.  I can walk around the hamper and he can walk around my car and we will be all the better for it.

From This Side of Disaster,
Cyndi