I learned a few years back that it doesn’t pay to clean out your sock drawers.  
No, really. It was a day when I had nothing better to do, so I thought I would rid everyone’s dresser drawers of those unmatched and unpaired socks. I also came across many old T-shirts, trinkets and the like. Got rid of all that stuff too. It expanded to a full day of getting everyone’s closets and dressers in order … you know, like they should be.
I don’t consider myself to be extremely obsessive or compulsive, but I was on a mission that day.
The sad part is that it was not long before everything looked just as bad, if not worse, as it did prior to my heroic effort. And my own dresser was, in fact, the worst. I really think my socks have a mind of their own and decide to go their separate ways whenever they like. Then one day, I finally realized that other people really do not care about how the inside of my dresser and closet looks. After all, that’s why we can close the drawers and doors ? so no one has to see what’s in there.
I have since embraced this idea so much that now all our dressers and closets are filled to the brim with stuff. We are at the point where you must wear a hard hat when opening a closet. Drawers may open or may not, depending on how much stuff we have crammed into one. How does this stuff build up so fast?
I must say, we do love our stuff. I still have my high school graduation gown; you never know when you’re going to need a perfectly good cap and gown. Plus, I worked real hard for that tassel. Halloween is just a few months away, and I’ll need a costume to fall back on just in case.
My mom always is giving me stuff. She is the queen of stuff. She recently gave me a couple of angels to put on our mantle (with all our other stuff).
“Where did you get these?” I said.
“I bought them from the neighbor who was having a yard sale. But I have too much stuff, so I’m giving them to you,” she said.
Gee, thanks, Mom.
Last weekend, my youngest daughter, Sydney, was cleaning out her dresser drawers. I peeked into the room and just smiled. I didn’t have the heart to tell her it would be all for naught. However, we did have several bags of pretty nice clothes go to Goodwill and to some of our friends who have younger girls. So that was a good thing, for sure.
I actually put a box of clothes together as well. I said goodbye to all of my corduroy pants that I’ve had for way too many years. I sure hope it warms up soon.
One night, I came into Sydney’s room to tell her goodnight, and I ran into her dresser drawer that she had left open. Guess she wanted me to see how clean it was; or maybe she wanted to bask in the glory of her own miniature version of an orderly world. Soak it in fast, baby. Tomorrow’s coming, and I see a basket full of dirty clothes in the laundry room.
Plus, I hear Nana’s coming over with some stuff for you.

DeLong is the executive director for The Suites at Station Exchange.  Email Rich at Suites.StationExchange@gmail.com.