WYSIWYG... sometimes

If you know me very well at all, you might not believe what I am about to tell you.

Recently I was with someone who made a comment to me somewhere along the lines of, "Your house is always so neat!"

Really. It's true. I even have a witness.

It's actually pretty ironic, since I am often totally intimidated by other moms whose houses are always so neat and tidy. More than once I've been known to ask a child upon return from a playdate: Soooo... is their house messier than ours? Does so-and-so keep his room clean?

I know. Shameful. But to be considered on the "neat" side of things is actually so amusing to me.

I guess I do keep this house more neat than my last one, a little bit. But it's nice here to have enough space that everything generally has a place. And it's still not neat all the time. (My goal is for the main floor to stay neat, and I hit that, oh, maybe 3 or 4 times a week.)

If you were to break into my house right now you would see a pile of dishes in the sink. (Hey, I've already done 2 loads today, and that's twice as much as my personal requirement.) You would see, especially in the basement, kid things everywhere and dirty clothes all over the place. In the loft you might find macaroni squished into the carpet. Might. I said MIGHT. Really - you might not. Yep.

Anyway, it's just another yet reminder of how different people's perceptions are from reality a lot of the time. Grace often reminds me of this. Usually when we're around other people, she's charming, bright, and friendly. At home, she's still bright but definitely lacks the charm!

Recently I met a woman who has me completely intimidated, and I've never seen the inside of her house. She is always wearing athletic outfits, completely buff and fit, and she drives a car that advertises a gym. When I met her she was friendly enough but it wasn't until someone else mentioned something to me that it occurred to me that perhaps my perception was off. That is, the perception that she wouldn't like me because I'm not like her. (My perception that she's fit and healthy is not off!).

So where this came from... I have no idea. But I think it's something to consider. I wonder if people generally perceive me the way I really am. Do you think they perceive you the way you really are? And if not, is it a problem? And if it's a problem, what can change?