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Recent Observations

Recently, I've been asked to describe myself, in terms of how I live my life. Mind you, this is not people asking for some philosophical belief system, simply asking what one can expect of me. My go-to phrase has been, "Clean, not neat." It is one of the few things I am sure of and, after observing others, I can say with full confidence, more so than most. I can count the times I've not showered over the last two years on one hand, with fingers to spare. I am borderline obsessive about cleaning my bedding and towels, doing each, every three to four days, including my comforter. I do regular laundry every four, maybe five days. Sometimes more, if I feel it's necessary. I clean other things that are not my responsibility, such as hand, kitchen, and sponge towels, every three days, and as it has almost become my calling, and a joke, I clean other people's dishes every single day without fail. As I've stated before, dirty dishes, left in the sink, is the pet peeve that makes my skin crawl. Yes, there is some psychology behind this, but I know it, so it's not a phobia.

So that's my thing, but I've noticed something about others. In the last week, I've overheard people use a variety of words to project a similar thought. "It looks clean," or, "I thought it was clean," or "It's clean enough." This alone is a little disturbing to me, especially when it comes to dishes, but regardless, it's not necessarily the words that triggered my observation, but who said them and the correlation. Every single person who uttered these phrases, or ones similar, is always ill. I am not, and my cleanliness, not neatness, is a major reason why. Long before I started eating more healthy food, I was never sick, and general cleanliness is the only constant throughout all of this. Well, that and fresh air. Something I can't confirm but have noticed a majority of those who utter the previous phrases, seem to shun.

Another thing I've noticed is people's tardiness and their mood. Obviously, this is more a work-related topic, but I've noticed this in other aspects in my life, even with complete strangers. People, who tend to leave late or show up late, tend to be unhappy? Is it lack of sleep, feeling rushed, skipped meals, or something else, I do not know, but a happy smile, on someone who is tardy, is a rarity. When you think about it, when was the last time you were late for something you wanted to attend? It isn't really that odd of an assumption to make, that someone who is late, would rather not be where they are.

Finally, and this is something I started noticing as social media use became more of the norm for projecting information, real or false, about one's self. People tend to be consumed with those who are not with them, yet take for granted those who are there. Even children do this, and I see it every day. As someone who has never missed work, ever, the children, and my coworkers take my presence for granted but the ones who are often out, whether due to scheduling conflicts or other reasons, are asked about and missed enthusiastically. Upon their return, even if it might be one day, they are given a hero's welcome,. I've also noticed this with socializing, even when discussing plans or past outings. People tend to discuss the parties who were not there, much more often than those who were present. Even during these events and for some, even in their own homes, they are constantly texting those who aren't present, ignoring those right in front of them, sometimes loved ones, even children. It's a sad side effect of our constant connection to all.

I like to watch people, working with kids has made it much more than a hobby. It is through kids, I learn a lot about adults and how their behaviors are not inherent. They have been programmed to believe this is the norm. I've often written about cognitive dissonance and I feel that when our false realities are somehow confirmed, either through likes, comments, reassurances, or in some cases, false praise, we start to believe that this is who we are. Without going into specifics, I do a task, almost daily, to maintain my desire to be clean. Without fail, I do this simple task each and every time, yet the people who benefit most from it, have not, to my knowledge, done it a single time, yet firmly believe this is their work and their achievement. That is how strong our minds are. That we can, without any effort, convince ourselves of our achievements, when we have never taken the first step to attain them. In any other world, this would be weird. Just don't ever point out these things, or you'll be accused of disrespect, entitlement, and looking for praise.

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