Dust Bunnies. They sound so cute. But as anyone with even a hint of obsessive tendencies knows that cleaning these little suckers can take up a lot of time and mental space. What bothers me the most is how I notice themEverything looks fine as I walk around my hard wood floor apartment. But then I get onto the floor for some purpose- most likely to play with my dog and there they are. Armies of dust bunnies, hair, string, and other nastiness are swarming.
Then, one I see it, I can’t UN-SEE them all! My eye inadvertently focuses on all those near-invisible specs. Why is it that I was perfectly happy walking on them before, but once they are noticed, they become an obsession. I have to clean them, fast and furiously, until they are wiped out.
But how I saw the dust bunnies, or did not see them, made me think about how a little change in perspective can change so much. It can show you dirt that otherwise goes unnoticed. Picking up on any flaw often comes after a shift. You notice something, about yourself or another, and, now aware, you have a choice on how to deal with it. Clean up or not, now you know it’s there.
And remember, once you see those dust balls all over, it’s hard to stop seeing them. That is, until they are all clean.
Love the dust bunny pic!
ReplyDeleteAs long as you keep in mind that *people* do not have dust bunnies. That is, they do, people have plenty of flaws - but it is not *your* job to help "clean them up" or "fix" them. Sometimes, when it comes to your own or other people's dust bunnies, you just have to draw a deep breath and pretend not to see 'em.
with OCPD, you can't pretend not to see them. They become your focus, even though you don't want them to be. You just can't help it.
ReplyDeleteIt's like finger prints on the wall, or drips down the cupboards, or toothpaste in the sink. You can't rest or avert yourself until it's taken care of.
In the mind of an OCPDer at least. So much of the population doesn't understand. They say relax, and when we say "I CAN'T", we really mean it.