This Way To My Blog

This Way To My Blog

Friday, August 24, 2012

I Had It All Figured Out---Not!

I like John's new TV service because I can watch "The Hoarders". Not sure why I'm so fasinated by this show. I think it's because I knew a hoarder personally one time so I know they aren't to be laughed at or made fun of. They really have a problem. The hoarder I knew could not get in his front door. He had to use the back door and climb over "stuff" in the kitchen to get to his bedroom. I was convinced I could straighten it all out one room at a time. Simple, take everything out of the living room and put it in the carport. Ignore the rest of the house. Clean everything floors windows. Only put back livingroom stuff. Throw away, donate, give away. Simple, right? Wrong! His mother came to help. I wonder how many times she had been through this goodwill gesture before? We had about half the "stuff" out when he stopped us. We both had a blank look on our face. What now, put it all back in? We both went home tired and disgusted and we didn't put it back in. After watching  several episodes of this show on two Sundays and listening when the hoarders talk to their therapist and tell about their losses in life it explains it. Over the few years I knew this man he told me at different times about his tramatic childhood. Very sad. This man is dead now and I can't help but wonder if anyone ever cleaned all this "stuff" out.

11 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

it is a sad affliction. can certainly understand trying to avoid further loss or maintain control over your situation.

Chatty Crone said...

I'm afraid only he could clean it out for himself. sandie

Lisa said...

It is a fascinating show and I do feel bad for the folks who hoard. It must be terrible to deal with that kind of mental illness.

~mel said...

Oh boy Paula ~ you hit the nail on the head with this post. My sister was a hoarder. Not quite as bad as some shown on that show; but there was a problem with her and going through her stuff. We could never in a thousand years figure it out. I can't tell you how many times my other sisters and I would go and clean up her house for her only to have it go right back to the state it was in prior. Very VERY FRUSTRATING! I bet more than 90% of those people on that show - go back a year later and they are right back in the same situation. So sad.

TARYTERRE said...

We hoard stuff. My hubby's office and our upstairs is a mess. But not like you see on TV. Not that bad. Our problem is our physical limitations. Otherwise it would be clean.

Jon said...

I'm guilty of watching the hoarder show, too. I have sympathy for hoarders, because it's often caused by something traumatic that happened in their lives - - yet I often wonder why they don't get up off their lazy asses and clean their houses. They always wait for somebody else to do the dirty work......

jack69 said...

I am amazed at what a 'normal' person thinks they can do.

Someone close to me was under the gathering clouds of dementia, It takes awhile to understand a malfunction of the brain. But once I realized 'things' they imagined, were REAL to this person, I started understanding someone like a hoarder, they cannot help it. What a confusing thing to both sides of the equation.
YOu are right, figured out? NOT!

Jill said...

It must be such a sad way to live. My heart goes out to them.

Lucy said...

I am afraid, and I mean this so much,
Once a hoarder, always a hoarder. And of course the neigbor and her husband that is so disabled are hoarders. When this house between us goes, we will have one lot between us. They have kept the taxes up on the house they live in here. Like us, they file homestead. I feel so sorry for them now with Ben's health as it is but I bet that half of that stuff back of their house will grow and grow. I hate that. There will be no stopping of the hoarding I am sure. sure.

Lynne said...

Very tragic, more wonder if he ever came to grips with his issues so he could let go of stuff.

Lori said...

I am glad people are starting to understand that hoarding is an actual illness, and one that can't be easily controlled or corrected. I watched a few episodes of Hoarders, but then I just couldn't handle it any more.