I think it is time I tell you my secret.
I have a disease.
It is not something I like to share.
It is a bit personal.
Well, let me start with this:
Hi! My name is Wendi and I suffer from SPTA. ( severe pre-travel anxiety)
No, I am not afraid to fly.
No, I enjoy being on the open road.
I suffer from the part of traveling that happens prior to traveling.
It has a lot to do with my other disease.
Hi! My name is Wendi and I suffer from severe OCD.
( many posts to follow)
Weeks before I leave for a trip, albeit a day trip or a weekend or a week, I stress.
Stress out!
To the point I am sure I need to be medicated.
It is the insatiable urge to leave my home with not one article of clothing in the hamper.
Not. One.
It is trying to gather everything we may need for the trip.
Snacks, wipes, clean underwear.
Those go without saying.
It is the Tylenol... regular, extra strength and migraine- cause you never know when a headache might come on.
It is the bag of entertainment: Cd's, DVDs, books, magazines, coloring books, crayons, color wonder, and toys.
It is a complete first aid kit , maps, and jumper cables.
It is making sure we are ON*STAR ready.
It is the want...no, it is the need to have everything in my house in its place and clean before I leave.
I am always fearful I might have a terrible accident and someone might have to come into my home and clean it for me.
My home needs to be ready for such an occasion.
The refrigerator needs to be cleaned out.
The pantry needs to be stocked and orderly.
The plants need to be watered.
The dishes need to be washed and put away.
The insides of all closets and cabinets need to be straight.
Goodness only knows the floors and furniture need to be scrubbed and vacuumed.
The toilets need to be bleached.
Do you see where I am going with this?
Complete and utter insanity.
For me and my family.
I would give anything to be laid back about leaving home.
To live carefree.
To look around and say, " What a mess I am leaving...I will get to it when I get back"
I . Cannot. Do. It.
My husband gets upset with me.
He would leave everything as is.
He would also let the toilet grow a science experiment in it before he would clean it.
He would not understand.
He does not understand.
He will never understand my need for clean and order before departure.
And so it is with much sadness I have to leave tomorrow.
I did not have much notice.
Chase is on our local 12 and under All-Star Basketball team.
We placed 2ND in the district.
We still got an invitation to the State Tournament.
3 hours away.
It is a double elimination. So, I have absolutely no idea when we will return.
Which makes my diseases flare up more.
How about you ? Do you dread trips due to all the preparing?
Have I scared you away? I don't think this disease is contagious. You will be fine.
I am sorry to go before finishing this post... but I don't think I straightened my Tupperware cabinet yet.
- Wendi
- North Carolina
- I am a "on- the -go-cook it-clean it-wipe it-dry it-make it-decorate it-wrap it-add it-balance it- pay it-mail it- write it - fix it- hang it-kiss it- put a band aid on it-fold it-wash it-list it-buy it-phone it-sort it-reserve it-take a picture of it" mom to three amazing children and wife to one amazing guy.
FAVORITE THINGS SWAP
16 comments:
Oh Wendy, I am so "passed" the point where I worry about what others might say.
If you could see my house right now, it would help you to relax! The men of this house have been in Florida watching some spring training baseball this week... so
There are still lots of pieces of uncooked broken angel hair spaghetti in my bedroom carpet from Tuesday (three days ago)from a day of 4-5-6 or more grandbabies playing "grocery store" in my room. I've vacuumed it- but it's still there...
Our two boxer puppies (4 and 6 months- but they weigh 35 pounds apiece already) found a roll of toilet paper and played "roll the paper" in our little bedroom that used to be the master... but there are also 4 loads of unfolded clothes on that bed.
Well, I could go on for a while but its 11:30 pm and the men will be returning sometime around 4:00 am- I guess I should try to pick up some of the mess. Nah- it will wait!!!
Susan,
YOU. ARE. MY. HERO.
I hear your pain. I am going on a trip next week and want the house perfect before I leave, but it's. not. gonna. happen. I have friends staying in the house while I am gone. What if they check in all my closets? Scream!
Again, I think we have more in common than we ever could have realized. This is me! It was drilled into me after years of living with my mother who is the exact same way. =-)
I admire your will to do all these things before any trip. I on the other hand am more laid bac, my stuff will be clean, laundry will be done,dishes clean. Anything else can wait till I return :-)
as we've discovered this morning, i have a madre who is a little more laid back when it comes to this sorta thing. thank the GOOD LORD ABOVE, i took after her... (i'm not thanking Him for some of the other things i took after her - one of which is my bleepin' sciatica!!!! AARGHHHH!!!!)
but yeah, clean dishes and clean clothes don't bother me... unfortunately they do bother rodney. well, i guess that is fortunate. that way, they at least get done! LOL!
HA HA! Oh that is so how my mom is. I love it. She has to have everything just right and she gets really stressed before she goes. She hates coming back to a messy home. And my dad stresses when we are finally at the airport. I hear what really helps calm nerves is a big Hersey bar! give it a try :)
Wow, I never knew you were like that, Wendi. That is precisely how I am, I am sorry to say. I went to Wal-Mart this morning to buy a brand-new DVD for the kids to watch on a one-day trip to Mt. Olive on Sunday. Thank goodness I opened it to go ahead and place it in the car getting everything ready (b/c of course they cannot watch it until then, it wouldn't be new, right?!). I discovered that there were no DVDs in the package! There's something to be said for being prepared!! I feel your pain.....
I get that way just to leave my house to go to the store. Like you I wonder, What if someone calls and wants to stop by or what if they dont call at all and just come by. So I spend the large part of "getting ready" just straighting the house. I am totally there with you!!! Have fun and are you coming our way?
My mom in law had that disease too! I on the other hand am more like Rebecca...food and garbage out, dishes and laundry done, lock it up and ENJOY!
You are not alone, it's ok! I suffer in the same way, however in all the worry I try to remind myself... It isn't what people see, it is what the feel:-) My family has referred to me as the nester, because I can spend hours on end making everything just perfect, or at least trying. I can stay home, and never be bored! I too would love my house to look like it came right out of Southern Living, everything in it‘s place. I received the cure for this problem almost six years ago though. His name is Joel, that's right my life has never been the same since. The Lord sent him to me to help me smell the roses in life (usually the ones he has just chopped of my beautiful bush that just started blooming) and be grateful for worms, and dirt clods (the ones I find in the washer). When my house isn't the way I want it to be all I can say is... I can't care! Not I don't care, because I care very much! But with three children, and projects of all kinds that there sweet little minds create, I can never keep up on everything like I want to. Something is always going neglected, and in need of TLC. Just do the best you can and it will be ok, besides I promise if something happened your mom would come clean your house before anyone knew anything happened.
Wendi, I don't suffer in the way you do, but my pre-trip anxiety forces me to get Zanax from my mom... I fly with Jackson alot, and I always freak out that Jackson will be fussy on the plane... to the point that I have to take anti-anxiety medicine just to get on the plane!!! Love you girl!
Let us know how the bball tourney turned out! :)
By the way, I was reading over my post again and I had to LOL at how I had said "clean dishes and clean clothes don't bother me..." yeah, apparently not! sounds like I PREFER dirty! LOL!
I'm kind of the opposite. I would drive you insane and you would look at me and think, Holy COW! I'm so glad I'm not her. My SIL is like you and even though we are great friends I know she thinks that about me on a daily basis.
Sigh. I guess I balance her. Or something...
Oh you are funny! I understand many people suffer from your diseases. I am not one, I leave with the house ina "lived-in, might-be-back-at-any-moment" state! I do however make sure our toilet doesn't grow any science experiments!
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