Phone? Check.
Keys? Check.
Wallet? Huh… Where did I put that again?
This is the usual routine at my house, some time
around 6:45 AM, give or take two minutes. The previous night is a blur: Sleep
deprivation mixed with a brain set on reaching heavenly slumber is not
something to be mixed with, much like pedestrians and freeways in the macabre
parody “Dancing with the Cars”. I don't have much time to lose— You’re late for practice at 7— and in an
act of desperation, I tear through my room to find it, tossing much of the
pillows, papers, and precious keepsakes in a rush-induced fury. No luck. I’ll
just have to take the bus, the speediest form of transportation our school has
to offer. I flop on my bed to wait for its dreaded arrival when I feel it: the
black leather wallet holding my driver’s license. By a stroke of luck, I must
have recreated last night’s sleep ritual and by extension, found exactly where
I put more like thrown my wallet. I
sprint to my car. After all, I’ve already wasted my 30 second grace period on
the usual shenanigans.
In
every aspect of the word, my life is a chaotic mess. From a young age, I
remember my parents scolding me for losing umbrellas, backpacks, and at times,
myself when they dragged me along to shop. I also fondly recall the time in
early middle school when my teacher pointed at my paper cornucopia and asked,
“What folder is that for?” to which I proudly replied, “All of them!” with an
innocent smile. Even as I type, my table is cluttered to the point of barely
functioning as a work desk.
This is actually one of the better days my desk has seen. More often
than not, its local climate consists of paper avalanches and school supply
showers.
Over the years, I’ve tried combating this
predisposition to clutter with a variety of calendars and to-do lists, and more
recently, I’ve combined these “managerial miracles” with the power of my phone,
an iPhone, if my iMac didn’t imply
imprisonment to the Apple ecosystem. They now function as untouched Edens,
filled with organization spring pools. Maybe it’s for the best: Their existence
hinges on my merciful neglect and abundant iPhone storage space. This
unstoppable chaos creeps into my life and spawns in every place it can manifest
itself. My mind is not safe to this force, and I am familiar to the feeling of
foggy forgetfulness that often plagues me, alongside the ever-expanding list of
things demanding my attention.
A part of my bed and headboard. Did
you notice I cleaned up a bit for this photo? The (empty) humidifier is my
current mini-geoengineering project to prevent nosebleeds within the vicinity.
Also shown: my wallet, along with two decoys.
I should be afraid that this casual chaos will
eventually overwhelm me, but I do my best to manage. I often joke that I’m a
devout zealot of entropy, following its wake to better understand and cope. I
fancy it to “falling gracefully”: when everything seems to be plunging deeper
into disorder, a little grace can make things easier to manage. The sky isn’t
falling; the second coming isn’t today; the wallet on the right is not a decoy.
Messes are ok, and once more, I enter into the fray.
First of all, let me just say that I do not understand at all how anyone can function when their workspace and/or bedroom isn’t organized. Personally, it pains me immensely when my room gets even a little disorderly. My entire space has to be clear or else I can’t focus on what I’m doing. Everything has a place and when it’s not in its proper place, I get extremely anxious.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, after seeing your backpack, I could only imagine how bad your room was.
Thirdly, I enjoyed reading your work. I liked your inclusion of a familiar anecdote to many high school students: the morning rush after a night of “sleep.” I also liked your descriptions of the various aspects of your life, such as the “untouched Edens” of your “managerial miracles” and your “cornucopia” of a folder. They created an odd image in my head of what your organization is like (or perhaps what it isn’t).
Overall, this was a great post. Thank you for sharing.
p.s. Unlike you on my blog post, I was actually first on yours. :)
I would like to contest that. The only reason why you showed up first is because I forgot to hit "Publish"
DeleteI admire your honesty for how disorganized you are. Most messy people tend to deny their lack of organizations. But you turn it around to make it fit with your quirky personality. The images along with your vivid images and word choice really gives us a clear perspective on your daily life. Nicely written!!
ReplyDeleteWell your room isn't that bad Alex. I literally have a dedicated section for messes that hold who knows what. Anyways, your blog post was very descriptive in describing how your room is and how you cope with it. Good stuff Alex!
ReplyDeleteWhat the heck? I thought I already commented on this, but guess not...
ReplyDeleteAnyways, excellent job, as usual. Reading your personal writing is always a delight--- especially since everything I read is so *you* that I can practically hear your voice reading aloud with me. Once more, your wit shines through in phrases like "paper avalanches and school supplies showers" I love how everything is so off-the-cuff, giving it a humorous and personal tone. I too can relate to the morning rush and last-minute frantic searches for keys, wallet, homework, backpack, phone.
And, I totally love the inside jokes ;D
I can relate with organized with the chaos. I can be quite disorganized but still know where everything is. I also have a folder that shares every subject. I like your honesty and your last lines. Good piece!
ReplyDeleteAlex, this was such a touching piece. Seeing how you describe your room and how you handle the way it is is very interesting. At times my room can also get messy and it’s good to feel like others experience the same struggle I do. Your writing was very descriptive and fun to read! Thank you.
ReplyDelete- Jennifer Kirksey
I really enjoyed this. I loved the beginning, it really grabbed my attention. The imagery of tearing your room apart is relatable to when I can't figure out what outfit I want to wear in the morning. Anyways, the use of imagery and the point of view of the story allowed the reader to feel more connected and understand how our lives can be a "mess." Overall, it was great!
ReplyDeleteLove how I can see you in your piece! You wrote it like how it was and it's genuine. The way you wrote this made it easier for me to relate because I sometimes do this too. I believe that we are always so caught up in everything and we don't really take the time to organize ourselves, and we end up making ourselves the very definition of chaos. I also like how you used italics here. It added depth to the whole story since the audience are able to hear your thoughts and understand the way you think. Interesting story!
ReplyDeleteI'd say this post captures both your personality and the mess that is your life pretty accurately. Seeing that this is just a snapshot of a much larger and more complex problem, I do wonder how you can function properly as a human being. It takes some cleverness to cope with such chaos, and that definitely shows through your personality and authentic writing style.
ReplyDeleteI can relate on a spiritual level. I walk into my room and all I see is another Tuesday pickup. Anywho, your blog post just reminded I'm not the only one out there who has these problems. Fun post! Keep it up.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I live in quite a mess too. My bedside table is cluttered with food wrappers, jewelry, and many many empty water bottles. Interestingly enough however, I always seem to know where everything is. Disorganization has many levels, but I feel as long as you are able to function, a little mess is fine. I enjoyed your article very much. Your complex vocabulary and pictures of your room gave it that personal touch so iconic of you. As soon I began reading, I thought "I know exactly which Alex this is!" Nice Job!
ReplyDeleteAfter knowing you since elementary school, I can easily say this piece encapsulates you as a person flawlessly. I enjoyed your frequent metaphors and imagery. Great job Alex!
ReplyDeleteI quite enjoyed Bryan's sarcastic description of you (and also your piece)! To be real, this is really relatable- I constantly find myself losing everything, as well as being lost in thought and pretending I understood what was going on. Though I don't know you well, this piece and topic really does remind me of your personality. It was respectable that you attempted to fix your issue, even if it didn't work out, and I like your take on the situation. Sometimes we all just have to make best of what we can :)
ReplyDeleteAlthough disorganization isn’t the best way to keep an organized and clean life, it’s a way of comfort for people like us. A simple and easy life of throwing something here or leaving it out there has been the way i’ve always “organized”, and i’m glad that i’m not the only one. :)
ReplyDeleteI can easily relate to your situation, I'm notorious in my household for being the one of the most cluttered and unorganized people living there. My advice would be to clean a small section of your room for at least 5 minutes, it might not make an instant difference, but over time it should prove beneficial to you and your wallet. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI really relate to this piece. I've always contained a sort of refined chaos over the years and I'm happy to know I am not the only one.
ReplyDeleteThis was a nice glimpse into your daily routine. I commend your ability to implement allusions to amplify the imagery in your post. Although the sudden breaks in thought confused me just a little bit, the piece overall was a fun one to read. It was as if you were in front of me, telling me all this, in person, while holding 8 1/2 by 11 copies of the images.
ReplyDeleteI love this! It's a piece that could only come from you, Alex, for no one writes with the wit you do. I like how you portrayed your disorganization as something whimsical and funny instead of painting it as a bad thing. It was very fun to read and we can all relate to the morning chaos.
ReplyDeleteI love how this piece just swells is "Alexisms"; beyond the personal content, simply just the presentation and diction is so iconic to you Alex that frankly I can't help but laugh and smile after reading your publication. It's concise, cohesive, and captivating through and through, a truly wonderful and oddly relatable piece. Very well done.
ReplyDeleteMan, if this isn’t the story of my life. My parents are always bugging me about cleaning my room and how they “never understand how someone can live with all that clutter.” I really like the detail you put into the piece, especially with the pictures that you added in! I really can relate to almost every part of your story, great job!
ReplyDelete-Carianne Lefebvre P.1
I thought this post was absolutely hilarious especially the line "and at times, myself when they dragged me along to shop." I found this post funny since I consider myself to be polar opposite. I often even stress clean and friends call me a clean freak lol but, I do feel as if I relate to this post occasionally (:
ReplyDeleteI really relate to this piece kind of deep. Because I’ve always been a messy person, there’s always been stuff spread out throughout my room stuff cluttered everywhere, just gives a really good insight to all of the stuff that is happening in most teenagers rooms.
ReplyDeleteThis piece was very relatable, I’m glad to see I’m not the only person who loses one necessary item when they’re supposed to be leaving and then completely tears apart their room searching for it. Also, the pictures were a nice touch to see exactly what you were talking about.
ReplyDeleteThis piece is too relatable, I often also find myself waking up in this same chaotic routine of looking for homework, keyes, and my wallet in the morning, then coming home to a scatter of useless papers on my desk. I think this is a great piece and it's great to know that i'm not alone in those chaotic mornings with messy rooms.
ReplyDeleteThis piece was actually very entertaining. Whether it was your odd humor, your quirky disorganization that even appears in your writing, or the topic, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Your vocabulary is very skilled and your topic is somewhat relatable. Looking around, my own desk is in a bit of disarray. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI love the style in which you write because it really displays your personality and maturity. It's easy to relate to because I constantly lose things due to my messes but know it'll all be okay.
ReplyDelete