Friday, December 16, 2022

That is Odd

Do all old people get idiosyncratic or is it just I? 

I find myself counting the stairsteps in my house when I go up or down. Not ALL the time, but fairly often. There are 15 in case you wonder. 

I do not leave discarded clothes on the floor of my closet if I am heading out to town. I at least fold them on the chair that I have in the closet. I think to myself, what if for some reason, a car accident or heart attack, I do not make it home and my daughter has to come down here to get my clothes and then sees how messy I live? (Sort of like that mom telling you to always wear clean underwear in the event you are in a car accident?)

I hate plastic but I still compulsively buy ziplock bags.  Most of my stuff is stored in glass-lidded containers, so why do I keep ziplock bags?  Some day I will make a list of when I use them and think of alternatives.

I put stuff away before the housecleaner comes so that all the surfaces are neat and tidy...it does make it easier for her to clean or dust.

I save all those stupid holiday catalogs thinking I will need them and stack them neatly on the couch near where I sit.  That stack stays unmoved for weeks, and I have never ordered from any of them!

Each night I tell myself that I will be more proactive in getting things done the next day and it happens... about one out of every 8 days. (In all honesty, this is probably not just an old-timers thing.)

Got any unusual compulsive behaviors that others may notice but which are who you are?






19 comments:

  1. You sound normal to me
    Let me count the ways...

    Bothered by 4 ice cubes in the tray, I resolved a few years ago by tossing one in the sink or adding one to my glass.
    TV Volume must be set on specific numbers, never below 30.
    I must have at least 1 good lemon in the fridge even though I rarely use them. I have found near petrfied lemons in the back of the shelf. A solution to end the waste, buy gin and tequila.

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  2. I prefer to set the volume on the TV to an even number. The only reason I don't count steps is because I don't have stairs. I must have milk and Hershey's chocolate syrup in the house. I can't live without chocolate milk.

    Love,
    Janie

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  3. I think every thing I do is completely normal -- no compulsions involved. Now if you were talk to family members or certain friends . . .

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  4. I buy a fresh bulb of garlic every week and one apple... even though I may have several on the pantry shelf (can't not have any in the house). And always pick up clutter in the bathroom before going out (in case son stops by or an emergency happens). But if I had to pick one item to take with me to a deserted island - it would be peanut butter. However, I tend to think all this is normal - possibly different according to personality, but normal.

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  5. I commonly count steps in the house. Sixteen here. They get harder to climb every year!

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  6. I do “hang my clothes” (some of them sometimes) on the cupboard floor, and I do think of it as “hanging,” for it is deliberately putting them out of the way until next time.

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  7. I am a counter, too. I can't help it, I always count steps when I go up or down. They are always the same number, thank goodness. :-)

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  8. I count stair steps too. It must be more common than we thought.

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  9. I count slices when I'm cutting up a banana for my morning oatmeal. I don't do it consciously and have no idea why it seems important to count each cut of the knife.

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  10. Anonymous1:22 PM

    Perfectly normal for me....lol. No steps in my house, but at our clubhouse, there are 16 and 16 (double stairs with a stop in-between) I count them all, for some reason. Also straighten up as best I can before the cleaners come. Buy and use and re-use ziplocks all the time. They are invaluable here.

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  11. I count steps and stairs. That seems perfectly normal to me. My wife cleans up before the housecleaner comes. That seems crazy to me! Go figure.

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  12. I cannot believe how much we sound alike. My housekeeper asks, "Why do you clean before I come?" I just pick up because I don't want her to see how I really live. LOL Happy and joyous holiday season to you and yours.

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  13. I don't have any stairs but do count slats on my closet and the bricks in the walls. It seems satisfying to me.

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  14. We all have such things we do. I counted stairs for many years, not knowing why i did so. Then Grandma (my mom, my children's grandmother, simply Grandma on my blog) told me she taught me my numbers and counting by counting stairs everywhere we went when i was tiny. Once i knew why i did it, i stopped!

    Housekeepers clean (scrub, sanitize, deodorize, vacuum, sweep, mop, etc,), you tidy (put things away so the housekeeper can scrub, sanitize, and etc.). That's normal.

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  15. If it weren't for the thought of who might have to tidy up after me if I didn't get back home to do it myself, I would like in complete chaos. Messyness, yes, but I've never had a counting thing.

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  16. Season's greetings to you and family.

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  17. I also count stairs. And I neaten my home before I go shopping so that when I come home, I can declare to myself "Oh Sandy! What a tidy house you have!" (Whatever it takes to bring those small bouts of joy to ones life!)

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  18. Now, i am beginning to get concerned. Hope you are on a neat trip or just taking a break rather than that something went wrong.

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  19. Tabor, just post when you can. I am always happy to come here and read what you have been up to. And I love your photography.

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Take your time...take a deep breath...then hit me with your best shot.