Once, the door bell rang, and I hastily gathered up my mess (you know, those odds and ends that seem to multiply on your dining room table when you're not looking) and shoved them all into the dishwasher.
I'm not especially proud of that moment, but it was someone I didn't know very well, I admit that I wanted to make a good impression, and, perhaps, I may even have wanted me and my home to seem just a tiny bit better than we actually were. In hindsight, it worked very well, and I keep telling myself that surely I'm not the first person to be caught unawares, shoving magazines, electric bills, and three dirty socks into their dishwasher.
Because my home is usually fairly tidy (although it won't always pass the finger-dragged-through-the-dust test) but I can tell you with absolute confidence that when it does happen to be in disarray, is always the day when a friend will just happen to stop by and ring the doorbell.
It's as if my household messiness grows up, packs its own bag, and sneaks out into the universe. Masquerading as a silent, yet inviting adversary, it delights in its own rebellion, and threatens to return home with onlookers and a generous dose of embarrassment. I know that if I don't act quickly, endless piles will magically begin to appear and multiply - independent gremlins of clutter and chaos seem to work efficiently throughout the night, creating a dismal sight for when I lazily stretch and open my eyes.
You see, we all have more stuff than ever before, which means that there's even more to tidy, and much more to organize and donate or throw away. In essence, we've gone ahead and created our own messy monsters.
But, I believe that we honestly can learn to live with (and dance around) the excess in our homes, it just takes time and a heck of a lot of discipline.
So, that's what I do to keep the chaos gremlins away - I buy, I dance, I tidy up as I go along, and, when all else fails, I throw it all in the dishwasher, kiss the cat, and call it a night :-)