It is no secret to all who know me that I have a little (or a lot) of OCD practices! My husband has gotten accustomed to my laundry cleaning rules…. My coworkers will print new copies of any pages they bring me that fall on the floor… My parents and siblings are very well versed in the amount of time I need to wash my hands at any given moment. Sometimes it is a good thing- I am always over prepared, I have extra Purell to share, I am highly organized and tend to have a great memory. Sometimes it is a huge pain- see above rules people feel they have to follow to not get my look of disgust. I laugh about it… But it is also something I have to work on regularly to try and keep at bay…. And hopefully improve. I am not proud of it and often find it can limit my ability to relax and enjoy, but I also really appreciate how people have taken the care to be aware of it and try to respect it- I am loved and that is a gift.
Travel imparticular can be challenging. Airports, rest stops, hotel rooms – although I love to get away, I can get prickly dealing with these potentially dirty and disorganized places. My sworn enemy is an airport TSA box at security- I know I am a nut!
Danny has become such a pro at helping me find the balance between a little extra cautious and crazy. For this trip he vacuumed, scrubbed, and removed any extra stuff his car collected over hockey season so I would be comfortable in our Explorer for the beach trip. But when I said I wanted the car detailed… He fired the warning shot: “Jac, stop.” And just like that I know I have to motor on and be grateful for his patience.
September 2016
This morning though, as I drove to Starbucks I had to laugh…. As far as OCD versions of me go- beach Jackie is by far the best. You see the beach vacations provide ALL my favorite things in one place. I can wear my beloved Rainbows to the beach and out to dinner. Most meals we eat out- including achance for me time each morning on a pretty drove over the bridge to Starbucks- and any meals we make here taste better when your eating them by the sea! I get to spend all day in beach bum wear and soaking up the sun is the number one activity on the agenda. At night it’s games and drinks and laughing and when you finally crawl into bed it is with a sound of the ocean in the background. I love the beach…. So when something that would strike my OCD nerve happens, I can actually overlook it.
Most of it is little things- if I am on the beach all day my 99 times to wash my hands is not an option. The perfect outfit, make up and hair is sorta null and void, because you can’t beat sun kissed skin and beach waves that smell like sea salt. And the “dirt” of the ocean is part of the allure- sand everywhere is fun! Yes folks beach Jackie actually stands a chance at going with flow…. Maybe Danny will have us move to the beach!!
But yesterday beach Jackie was truly tested…. We are staying at The Atlantis hotel – not only a dog friendly property, but truly a dog’s vacation spot. Puppies are everywhere and thus so are dog people. Needless to say we have loved it and fit right in (most of us at least Quinlan is still not dog friendly- but doing great)! Because the other are of my life that OCD goes right out the window are when it comes to dogs!
That’s right- I kiss all my dogs right on the snout. I may be extra vigilant about scrubbing my hands before bed, but once I am in bed you will find my dog right there with me. When my OCD was first showing signs as a kid- my parents would try to motivate me to not worry so much about being clean. One instance is when we were going to go see our second golden as a puppy to determine if she was the right fit for our family. By the time we could find an opportunity to pop by the breeders it was late in the evening and my mom wanted us showered and ready for bed before we went, so once home we would all go right to sleep. 4 kids ages 9-2, my parents had rules that were non-negotiable! At this time I was at the height of my shower right before bed stage… But to go see a puppy- I quickly agreed no shower when we got home. Well that puppy came home with us a little unexpectedly that night- we were in love- and when she peed all over me in the car, I was still willing to forgo the shower- who cares, I had my puppy!!! Luckily mom and dad bent the rules this time. Dogs are my weakness …. And I will bend the OCD rules for them.
September 2016
Yesterday as we sat on the beach this beautiful pup- a mix of sorts… With the main breed being a Bernaise mountain dog- came running up to my chair. He was gorgeous and had the most warm and gently eyes, withbig floppy ears and a curious nose that screamed I want to play- so of course I squealed at delight and encouraged him to come right over. The part I wasn’t ready for- the lift of his leg on me and my chair. I sorta yelled out no…which made him stop- But didn’t jump up or move. Danny was in shock! “How can you sit there and be prepared for a shower of dog mess, yet if I let a clean sock touch our floor it has to go right back in the laundry??? Why did you just sit there?” We all had a really good laugh… And I had to tell my OCD that all was ok because the only spot the dog really hit was my towel – that was promptly marked as too dirty for use- And I moved on!
Yes folks dogs and the beach are my only areas of dirty that I really do go with the flow…. Although when Mac, my in-laws dog, and Quinlan tried to mark the same spot – aka ME!- after I did start to lose my cool a little bit…. For the most part it has been so much fun being covered in beach dirty, I have hardly cared! And it has been agreed upon, beach Jackie might be the best Jackie. Have a happy weekend!
Thanks so much for reading and remember to make it a great day!
Jackie
PS- Thanks for your patience- I am trying my hand at the WordPress App!
Have A Little Faith in We 