My sister is coming to visit and she's never seen my current place. It's not really my place, but it's a friends from whom I rent a room. So, I guess in a way... whatever, you get the idea. Anyway - she arrives on Sunday and it just dawned on me that I should probably clean things up before her arrival. That means scrubbing floors and dusting tabletops and all those little things that get skipped in the usual cleaning (you know, the toilet, the shower, the sink and countertops and laundry). After thinking it over for a few minutes, I suddenly felt overwhelmed as my thoughts of cleaning began to extend into remodeling and redecorating.

Why do we always feel the need to dress things up for visitors when reality is what they want? If the house is good enough for me day to day then it will probably be good enough for my sister. She wants to see how and where and with whom I am living, not some fantasy that I created 48-hours before her arrival. It makes me wonder about other people's houses... maybe I'll start dropping in on people to see if they really live that way or if it was all a show for me to come over. I mean, of course you want to clean up a bit, put away your dirty clothes and pick up your junk mail, but beyond that a visitor should get the real deal and nothing more. If you're gross in reality, then I would say just don't invite people over - EVER.

- Judianne