"Schadenfreude is the satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune."
I once famously asked my mom if it was OK for me to tell Kelly I didn't think he was keeping the house clean enough. I'm pretty sure that on days she needs a little pick-me-up, Mom recalls that conversation and has herself a good laugh.
Look, it's difficult for someone with OCD to abdicate control and let others try to get the house as clean as we'd like. We're almost always disappointed. But I've made a great deal of progress: Kelly hasn't barged in on me going at the grout in the kitchen with an old toothbrush in about 3 years!
I'm not proud to admit this, but the first thought that crossed my mind when I was laid off wasn't "how will we pay the bills?" or "where am I going to work now?" No it was, "I can finally clean the blinds." Here's the thing - reality came up and kicked me aside the head. It's difficult, no it's impossible, to get done all I want while staying home with the boys and looking for a new gig. (The blinds still need to be cleaned.)
So, gentle reader, you'll excuse me this moment of schadenfreude.
Today I told the boys they needed to help me straighten up the house. Gus protested asking me why it mattered.
"Because it's a disaster! I'd be horrified if someone dropped in on us unexpectedly and saw our house this messy."
Gus replied, "It's not that bad, Daddy. Ethan across the street, his house is always way messier than ours ever is!"
Yeah, it's shallow, but I'll take a victory when I can.
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