Make your bed?  Why?  Well here’s why: for a while, I stopped making my bed.  Why bother?  And, I would leave the dishes in the dishwasher, washed, and just used them straight from there.  Laundry, why fold it and put it away when I can just pull it right out of the dryer and put it on?  I was turning into a lazy, who cares, frat boy, apartment dweller.

So what has changed?  Nothing really, but now I know that those little things matter. They actually matter to my mood and energy from the beginning to the end of my day.  Think about how it feels to get into a bed that has been made vs. how it feels to get into a bed where the pillows are already squished and you have to look for the top sheet hidden under the covers at the bottom of the bed.  The reason we put our clothes away from the dryer is because they are now folded and neater and not as wrinkled.  And, we put our clean dishes away because we need a place to put our dirty dishes, right?

I learned that the best part of keeping things orderly, even if no one else is around is that it’s not for other people to judge, it is for my enjoyment, my contentment, my mood.  As I open the door to enter, I am not hit in the face with messiness and laundry that needs to be put away and dishes that are still in the sink or dishwasher.  It is perfect just for me.

I also noticed that even though I love lots of scented candles, and I wasn’t burning them often because no one else is there to enjoy them.  Well, guess what sister, now I burn them all the time because I like them and I like the way they smell.  And, I have removed the plastic from the sofas (just kidding about that).

I liken it to the question, “Who do you dress for, men or women?”  “Who do you keep your surroundings for, company or yourself?”

I am not a neat freak by a long shot but I have found that when I keep my place orderly, even if no one else sees it, I see it and it makes me happy.

So, whether or not you are starting over, the next time you awake in the morning, make your bed!