I have a bit of a problem.  Some would call it obsessive/compulsive, and they might be right.  I cannot tolerate things on a wall that are crooked.  It drives me insane.  Pictures have to be level.  Shelves must be level.  I will be uneasy and preoccupied in a room with crookedness until it is straightened.  Take for instance a recent visit to my doctor.   You know that awful moment where you’re waiting in the room for the doctor to come in?  (Stay with me on this one…) Well, as I was waiting I was staring at a picture that was just a hair off level.  I tried.  I really did.  I told myself it didn’t matter.  I looked out the window.  I strained to read my chart on the computer screen.  I swung my feet really fast.  And then I jumped off the table and straightened it.  Ahhh….much better.

I used to work with a guy who had a picture in his office that was constantly crooked.  The first thing I did every time I walked in his office was straighten it.  He didn’t mind.  I’ve been known to be in the middle of a conversation with someone and interrupt it for a second so I can move the picture over their head.  Oh…and I got this brilliant idea a few years ago to hang a collection of photos in my office as a group.  Well, if one picture is off, they all are.  The vertical lines get messed up – not just the horizontal ones.  It’s awful.  The first thing I do every morning is straighten those blasted pictures.

The funny thing is I never use a level.  My husband does, but I don’t trust it.  Our house is old and IT is crooked, so anything bubble level doesn’t look straight.

I suppose I could draw a parallel (and it would have to be parallel or else it would be crooked…) between this obsession and how I approach the rest of my life.  It’s probably obvious.  I like things to be in order, but I prefer to consider the circumstances to determine what that needs to look like.  I also have a tough time letting things go.  I probably need to work on that.

I am taking baby steps.  As I type, my computer screen is not quite parallel with the shelf above it due the the slightly sloping floor in my den.  I’ve lived with this little issue for almost six months now and still haven’t shimmed up my desk.  Maybe there is hope for me yet.