My Beautiful Mind

My close friends and family members know that I have OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) tendencies. I’ve never actually been diagnosed, but I took a test once where I had to select how many OCD-like tendencies I had out of a list of 30 symptoms. I selected nearly 15 out of the 30. It’s so sad. I don’t think it disrupts my daily life, as I don’t wash my hands repeatedly, or toggle light switches over and over again. I simply have issues with organization and cleanliness. Here’s a list of a few OCD tendencies that I probably perform daily. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them. In fact, these things keep me organized and sane.

1. The bed MUST be made every morning. If the sheets are disheveled when I go to bed at night, I have to first, make the bed, and then get in. I can not sleep in a messy bed.
2. When I ride the metro each day, I carry a large tissue in hand. The tissue is to hold the poles on the train. There are countless germs you can get from touching that thing. I swear I stay healthier by holding poles, door knobs, etc. with tissues vs. my bare hand.
3. I make lists. Lots of lists. I carry a list with things that I have to do weekly. My lists are color-coordinated depending on the importance of the task I have to complete. I have a weekly to do list, and a weekend to do list. I also have a list of things I need to do each year. Some of my lists have reminders to look at other lists at certain points in the year. Don’t look at me that way! I’m not crazy….I swear.
4. All of the picture frames in our house HAVE TO be black with white matting. It’s only right.
5. After I shower, I have to immediately lotion my face with my clean hands. If I touch anything else but the lotion first, my hands could get dirty and then transfer dirt to my face. No one likes pimples, right?
6. All pants, shoes and shirts have to go on with the left leg, foot or arm first. Hey…I AM left handed after all!
7. If you ever notice, I rarely touch/hug/kiss babies or toddlers. Most of them are Petri dishes of vile germs. I can actually see the germs crawling on their little hands and face. However, my niece and nephew are not contaminated. They have my seal of approval.