Writer's workshop--Clean Up This Pig Sty!

Time for the Writer's Workshop this week. 

The Prompts:
1.) Lou Holtz (don’t ask me who that is) once said, “life is ten percent what happens to you and ninety percent how you respond to it.” Do you believe this? Describe a time when you feel like you could have responded a different way and produced a different outcome.
2.) I miss the friend you used to be.
3.) The most unbelievable blue eyes you’ve ever seen…
4.) The craziest reason I ever got in trouble as a child.
5.) What would you ask forgiveness for?

I'm choosing to write about number 4.  The craziest reason I ever got in trouble as a kid.  I have to say I was a pretty good kid--oh I got in trouble for lying and stuff like that, but mostly I was pretty good, but I did get in trouble regularly for not cleaning my room.  I would often let things slide in there.

I remember once that Mom got so fed up with the mess in my room she threatened to move me to a very small room in the basement that didn't even have a closet in it.  It barely had room for a double bed and a dresser.

So began the cleaning, while I grumbled and quietly ranted about how my room didn't need to be clean--I knew where everything was.  What was the big deal?  So what if my clean clothes were still in the laundry basket--they were the ones I wore all the time anyway, why put them away when I'd just get them out again?  The ones that were dirty were mostly in the laundry hamper--good enough.  And my bed--why make it in the morning when I was just going to get in it again anyway.  It's not like she was conducting tours through my room--no one saw it but me and on occasion her. 

I grudgingly cleaned enough to pass muster.  put away the clean clothes and picked up the dirty ones that had missed the hamper, straighted the bed, put away the library that was inhabiting one half of the bed and stacked on the floor, picked up the dirty dishes and took them to the kitchen, and threw away the trash that was lying around.  Hmm, maybe it was messier than I thought.  I did get to stay in my room.

Little did I know why Mom was so concerned about my being able to keep my room clean.  I didn't get it until I had an entire house to keep clean.  You have to stay ahead of the clutter and the dust.  Otherwise it really takes over your house.  And no one wants to come visit if they have to scale mountains of trash and debris the get around.  That makes you a hoarder and you get to be on shows like Hoarders and Clean Sweep.  Not the way I want to become famous.

Now pick your prompt and go link with Mama Kat.