Thing 40: Two Bad Ants

We still have boxes of art, art supplies, a few boxes labeled "customs" and one "vinyl scraps" in the back room of the shop. J saves lots of stuff. I do too, but I'm neater about it. That's no brag. Just a fact. And it ain't better, just who I am. This is something I used to be pretty embarrassed by. I always envied those chaotic, messy, wild, creative types. It intimidated me sure, but I still wanted to take an HST type fear and loathing road trip or tour with the Butthole Surfers (when they was crazy). So back when I was embarrassed by this, this is the sort of thing that would embarrass me. I came home one day to find my housemate in my bedroom with a friend opening the drawers of my bureau. The housemate wasn't embarrassed, she simply explained she was showing her friends my organized drawers because she is in awe of them. Huh, maybe I didn't have to hide my "tidy little secret". Same very clever housemate once replied to boys at the bar asking us what our hobbies were, "she cleans and organizes". Again, the kind of thing that would have embarrassed me, or felt like someone was teasing me, but this housemate helped me get over the embarrassment. I be neat.

So, here is why I can be in awe of the messy. My husband made a back drop for a little movie he was making for a class. He had some dayglo yellow cardstock and was cutting out little diamond shaped stars to paste to the black bristol board night. Teeny tiny bits of dayglo yellow paper covered the basement coffee table. I absentmindedly sweep them into my hand while we're talking - ya know, to clean up. Husband says, don't throw those away, I might use them. Use them? Was he kidding? He was not. He is so sweetly sincere. Sure enough, he glued said scraps to cardboard in a swirling pattern. Damnit, he saved scraps and then actually used those scraps. I will never question what he saves or disposes of again. Seems chaos and clutter inspire J. One day all the clutter looks different and an idea comes to him. I mean, we're inspired by tons of stuff, but I confess, I find myself inspired by order and neatness.

Two Bad Ants was in an art box. J said I could add it to the pile. He saved it because he liked the illustration. He still does, but he can part with the book. Things have their time.