Being OCD is hard work...

I've admitted before that I'm a tad OCD. This should come as no surprise to any of you. However, I realized this weekend that this is hard work. I need to lighten up and give myself a break already.

See, I don't allow myself many hobbies; I guess it's because I don't rest well if I can't follow something through to completion. I love to scrapbook. Any every time I have the opportunity, I scrapbook like the wind because I can't stand to be behind...I am only at peace when I'm caught up or working on current pictures. There is no such thing as just leisurly doing a page or two for the fun of it. Oh, no...there's no fun in it anymore. I must conquer the scrapbook hobby. It's quite sad.

Aside from scrapbooking, I love to read. I don't necessarily have a style of writing that I prefer, I just love to read. If it sounds interesting, that's good enough for me. Since I have that little OCD thing happening it's hard for me to start a book, read a chapter or two and just put it down until there is more time. Because guess what? There is never any more time. Not just to lie around and read, that is. My only time to read is in the tub, and even that isn't totally uninterrupted. But it's so relaxing to me. Until recently. See, I decided some time ago that I might put novels aside for a while and stick to some easy reading, like Reader's Digest. It's full of short stories and I can just pick it up and read several articles and then put it down, and I'm ok with it. The problem is this...our subscription had lapsed. When I finally got around to filling out a check and mailing it in (is that antiquated or what? Let's get with the program here...online bill pay people.) Anyway, we had missed a few issues by the time they received my subscription card and payment. But apparently they decided they'd be nice and catch us up or something. Because currently I have 3 months of issues that I've got to read. Then, my sweet husband ordered me Real Simple for Mother's Day. I love this magazine with all of my OCD heart...it feeds my need for organization and all things OCD. It's awesome. But see, when he decided to suscribe to it for me, he bought me the May issue, then the June issue came out the next week and he picked that one up for me too. So I have 2 of those to read also.

5 magazines y'all. And I can't just skim through them because I might miss something. I have to read from cover to cover because it's the way it should go. The craziness...

I tried to share my magazine woes with my sister. I really thought she could offer some sound older sisterly advice regarding this oh so delicate situation. Her response was quite shocking to me. She subscribes to 9 magazines. Nine. A few of these come in weekly! And she is looking for a few more things to read by the end of the month. I would have to take a vacation daily to read that many magazines. I can not imagine keeping up with that. Not to mention the clutter that nine magazine subscriptions could create in a month's time. Anyway, she proceeded to advise me that reading is supposed to be fun, and I should lighten up and enjoy it already.

OK really, so that's how that works. I'll make a mental note of that.

On the way to Baton Rouge tonight Jason called the people from Real Simple because it appears that we haven't received the July issue yet. Apparently it takes a while for them to begin sending the magazines to you once you've subscribed. My first one will come in August. He was totally sad for me and told me that we'll just have to purchase July. He is so precious. But, deep down inside I breathed a sigh of relief. I think I'm just going to throw caution to the wind this time and wait for the August issue to come in.

Maybe I will be better caught up with my summer reading list by then.

Face for Grace,
Holly