I need more people over.

My father-in-law came over to visit yesterday, and funny how that works; we got the house pretty clean in no time!

Throughout the week, the house has been a mess. Especially so, since the kids were home for spring break. There was more than the regular clutter of stuff where nothing gets put away in the right place. Things had piled up on top of the piano, the standing desk, my desk, the kids’ desk — all the desks. There’s mail, empty boxes, books, dying flowers, lonely jackets, and random kids’ toys.

It was all tolerable to walk by and get on with life until I heard someone was coming over to visit. Suddenly, my home looked like a madhouse to me. I panicked and noticed every item that was out of place, and everything was an eyesore.

I’ve been sick since Friday with a bad cold that came with stabbing sinus headaches and body aches. I was useless on Saturday, and I warned my husband he would have to be in charge of lunch for Sunday’s visit. He checked with me to ensure I was ok with his dad coming over and the house not being ‘guest-ready’ according to my standards. I said yes. It’s not like the house was a total mess. It just looked like too many kids lived here.

But I couldn’t stomach it. I scrambled on Sunday morning to put stuff away. I swept and vacuumed with my daughter’s help. I got dizzy, short of breath, and felt faint. But I felt good.

Now I only need to figure out how to apply this kind of deadline panic to other areas in my life so I get more shit done.