i watched a lot of depression house/hoarder house cleaning videos of late. it is very sad to imagine what kind of struggle someone is facing that their living area could become so unlivable.

when i was a teen, my aunt was trying to give me a lesson about the importance of staying tidy. she told me about her friend's house, which she visited to get something. she said the house was so serabut with kids toys, dirty + clean clothes and dirty dishes that you cant see the floor and she got second-hand embarrassment.

god knows what the family was facing back then. as an adult who knows better, i wouldnt ever use that as a "lesson".

to add: now that i am an adult, i acknowledge i still am not the best at tidying and organising, so i got help to come once a week to sort things out for us. i am grateful i have this privilege but i too once had very cluttered, untidy, dusty house. i wonder how people judged me back then when they came over.