Inspiration for this post is a little “icky”.
I had cause to visit a friend’s house recently and was appalled by the standard of living.
Now it is important to note that we are messy family. Our place is welcoming but is obviously well lived in. Obvious redecoration is needed and we don’t always vacuum as promptly as we should.
But. like most houses, most homes, we can haul it back quite quickly A few hours and we are presentable.
Not so this house. Dog hair is crammed into every corner. Kid wear and tear is obvious.
Everything was sticky and there was a mustiness in the air. They were jolly while I was there but the drop in standards was obvious to see.
It’s hard to be non-judgemental but taken together with their school aged children still being out despite it being dark and a 6 year old playing a blood splashed shoot-em-up game, I did feel a bit “judgy”.
But I realise we all hit these times. It’s nothing sudden. Sometimes it’s a slow slide, where so much is going on we prioritise other things. Over the months the place slowly falls apart.
Years ago I met a lady who lived in a hovel. The smell of we.ed hit you as you walked into the jumble sale of a house. Seats had to be cleared to sit down and cups had to be washed before you used them. More than once we washed up for her and did her washing to much protestation.
Eventually she met a man who helped her sort her life out. We bumped into each other a few years later and she was much more “together”. She had got rid of much of the clutter, repainted and finally cleared the plethora of her late mother’s belongings.
Maybe my friend is going through things to which we are not privy. Usually they share but perhaps money woes and work problems are things they just can’t share.
We’re always around for them. Just the other day we helped out when one of their kids was having problems with some local thugs. She was tearful and grateful for our support.
Point is, sometimes you just don’t know what’s happening in people’s lives, even when their folk close to home.
