I Almost Didn't Post This, It's Just Rambling...

As previously mentioned, I watched Obsessed on A & E on Monday & it was frightening!

It made me think of a show I saw on TLC many months ago about this lady who lived in San Francisco in a tiny apartment that was so full it was unbelievable. She had to sleep in a huddled ball on the floor because of all the stacks & shelves full of organized stuff. At least she had a case of double OCD so she kept it neat instead of having it all look like garbage everywhere.

She was such a sad, lonely case that it just broke my heart. When she left the apartment she had to take three full backpacks of stuff just to take the bus to her therapy. She was close to being evicted. So sad.

There was another woman that put it into terms I could truly understand. She was talking about her need to go to thrift shops, that she couldn't pass by one without going in, & when she was there she found pieces of herself. This sewing machine is for the lady that likes to do crafts. This dish is for the lady that likes to entertain her friends.

Of course she could never do those things because she couldn't have anyone visit & she didn't have space to sew. Her story was the most troubling because she had two teenage sons living with her & her stuff.

The woman in San Francisco lived in a nice house with her apartment in the front & looking normal from the street. Inside was quite a different story. The other woman's house gave a glimpse of what was happening inside as seems to happen with hoarders that have yards & driveways.

After I saw the show on TLC I freaked out & looked up the signs & symptoms of hoarding based on my tendency towards clutter. I am absolutely, positively not even on the scale of record keeping for hoarding. It made me feel better but it made me feel sadder for the people that are measured on that scale.

Most of the time Obsessed frightens me & reminds me to recognize that it's a slippery slope for all of us. But the way the hoarders live just breaks my heart.

My whole take on the situation, is that you just never know. I try not to judge people from the outside looking in because you just never know.

I still hear that woman talking about finding pieces of herself ~ it haunts me.