Monday, January 30, 2006

Eschewing Chaos

My Dad is one of those men who reads stuff about guns, germs, genomes and Feynman's theories on physics. Really heady stuff. Stuff, I definitely do not read. Even my high-brow stuff is low-brow by comparison.

My Dad once had a book on Chaos Theory. A marvelous theory explaining how there is Order in Chaos: structure to the natural randomness of things-- or some nonsense backed up by boring scientific research. Never actually having read this book myself, I felt a definite affinity with the title and knew after reading the book jacket that this was a theory that I could own-- if not have set the precedence for.

But not anymore! At least not today. Today, I can now count myself among the organized millions. A card carrying member of the cult of Martha. A believer in all that is Order without Chaos.

Step aside and adore . . . MY CLOSET.

My closet now has shelves and crates and cubby holes for my purses, sweaters, stilletos, boots and belts. Oh my!

I spent $40 at Target (always pronouced the with the j sound and silent little t) and all day Sunday organizing my Chaos. I wish I had taken before pictures but alas I am much too embaressed to show the whole world my chaos anyway. Maybe later pictures will follow but I am too busy glowing in the glory of all that is hanging and folded and color coordinated to be documenting it on digital film.

But for a moment, if you will, just imagine a 4 by 8 walk-in closet with a 3 feet deep mound of clothes, shoes, hats, belts, underwear etc on the floor now succumbed to the un-random order of cubby holes and coat hangers.

It is beautiful.

Something to be treasured and admired. Maybe later I will write a poem about it. It is THAT amazing. I have invited Mom, sister and best friend over to admire it. And those, by the way, are the 3 people who have acutally seen my chaos in its original state. Well, except kids and husband. Kids loved Chaos--great for hide and seek. Husband does not love Chaos but lives with it in exchange for well, you know.

Sadly though, as all my love affairs with Order have gone, I know this too shall not last. I surely hope it will, but I know that Chaos will take over again and I will once again be defined by the disorder that is me. So be it.

Honestly, Order, regardless of what Martha Stewart may say is overrated. It takes an ENORMOUS amount of time to bring Order and then to maintain said Order. Oh.My.God. The maintainence is what kills me. The actual bringing of the Order can be fun but the whole idea of continually putting things back in their ordered places is stressful for me. It is much easier to just toss it on the floor, dash it in a drawer and run out the door than to acutally take the time to Gap-fold or neatly hang it back up. I am already driving myself crazy with the folding of sweaters and placement of shoes. Seriously, chaos is easier. Order takes time and a sort of discipline that just needles me to obliviion.

But I will try, because it is nice to see all my clothes all ordered and merchandised for me. I am a total sucker for merchandising. . .

Today and maybe tomorrow and maybe even for an entire month I will eschew Chaos . . . and bask in the glory of all that is Marthaized. Achoo!

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