Refrigerator Wars

I don't know what draws me to the show Hoarders.  It's like a car crash.  It's definitely not edifying, and I should curb my viewing habits.  In some sick way, it gives me comfort.  Comfort that my house isn't "that bad", that I have my "stuff" together, that I'm not as sick as "those" people.  I had a little wake-up call as I tackled my refrigerator. 

I've been using an online organizer called Cozi that I found on one of my favorite cleaning and organizing sites, Flylady.  I have this neurotic need to have a checklist, and this site was a dream come true (How type A do you have to be to get excited about cleaning and organizing your house?).  One of the tasks assigned by Flylady for the day was to empty and clean out the fridge.  When we arrived home from the grocery store, I decided to tackle this task.  I anticipated it would take me 15 min . . . 2 hours later and I'm up to my neck in old salad dressing bottles, half eaten fuzzy somethings, and about 6 jars of jelly all while mini-people shouted, grunted, and begged for lunch. After soaking disgusting shelves in the bathtub with bleach, chipping away at some mysterious caramel colored congealed substance with a sharp kitchen implement, and scraping out (insert gagging noise here) old containers of who-knows-what, washing my hands at least 25 times in scalding hot water, I was done. . . until I removed the little vent cover underneath the fridge and discovered about 3 lbs of dog hair.  (We haven't had dogs for over a year!)  This was not for the faint of heart. 

I'm not going to make some profound spiritual connection between my dirty fridge and my dirty heart (though the parallels would be interesting) I'm just going to say that I now realize that I'm just a few bad decisions or circumstances away from the aforementioned show.  It gives me more compassion with those that struggle with a very visible manifestation of a hurting heart.  And it reminds me to take out the yellow gloves and do some hard work in my own life with the Spirit's help. 

(And yes, I do look that fetching while fetching from my Frigidaire)