Neat to a Fault

I am a neat person. I like things organized, swept, vacuumed, and in thier "proper" places. When I was younger my two sisters would come in my room and "borrow" (without my permission) an item of clothing from my closet and I could always tell when they had been in it. A hanger would be askew, a shirt missing, or a skirt hung in the wrong spot. And if my closet door was even slightly ajar, it was a dead giveaway. They would also shift things on my dresser & desk just to irritate me. I was pretty uptight about my room. Sitting on the bed wasn't allowed & I would make a huge dramatic show of smoothing out every wrinkle on my bedspread. Yes, I was that child.

I'm still pretty neat, but now my bedroom is not quite as meticulous as it used to be. Clothes tend to pile up on my chair into a small mountain as the week rolls on, but gets cleaned up on Saturday. But one thing hasn't changed. My closet. It is my sanctuary of cleanliness. My happy place. I still keep it organized as follows:

• Sweaters are kept in the corner against the wall. They are itchy and bulky and are the outcasts of the closet.
• The shirts are very rigid and aren't very welcoming towards new garments. Because of this superior attitude of theirs they are placed next to the sweaters and segregate themselves according to sleeve length and button up or zip-up.
• Dressy tanks are the popular clique and hate mixing with the sweatshirts that border them on their right. I'll admit they are a bit stuck-up. They refuse to be hung on a hanger that does not have notches for their delicate straps to rest in. Otherwise they will slip off, one silky strap at a time.
• The sweatshirts are typical jocks and reside in the middle of the closet proclaiming their dominance. They also like to be close to the beaded, stylish tanks, so they had ulterior motives about being placed there. The hooded sweats are one team, facing off with the zip-up sweatshirts and fleeces that are on the other side of the half-line. Determination etched in their stitching.
• Next to the sweats are the skirts. They make a lot of flippant comments (pun intended) and tend to get ruffled easily by the jocks who like to tease them. Sending them into a fit and inevitably flouncing away.
• Naturally, the dresses are next to the skirts. Arranged according to season...spring...summer...fall...winter. Lights to darks. They don't say much, as they tend to keep to themselves. Probably related to the fact that they are a whole ensemble on their own and only require accessories to dress them up or down.
• Pants are clipped on hangers next to the dresses and are pretty passive and friendly. They don't have many enemies and seem to make friends wherever they go. Except when they start to fit snugly. Then they become enemies to the owner.
• Finally we have the coats. But only a few, as most are stored in the hall closet. But here, here are the favorite jackets. The ones that aren't worn often, but know that when they are worn, it is for a special occasion. So they are a bit prideful and arrogant. But that is to be expected.
• Oh, and one cannot forget the massive quantities of shoes that fill the closet. Hanging next to the luxurious coats, is a rack full of shoes...all styles. Stacked one on top of the other, as there are simply not enough compartments to hold them all. And then there are more on the shelf above the clothing in the closet. And more lined up in neat rows by my front door. Heels, wedges, peep toes, tennis shoes, athletic shoes, ballet flats, boots, Uggs. You name it. I probably have it. Yet, sadly, it still is never enough!

On top of my clothes being arranged so fastidiously, I also arrange each section by color. It is a kaleidescope of rainbow colors in my closet. Each grouping is ordered by red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, black, brown, grey, and white. If there are patterns, I pick the most dominant color and file them accordingly.

I'm ridiculously neat and ordered. I know. And I rejoice in that fact.