I'm not completely sure where I got my compulsion for order, neatness and alignment, that is to say, symmetry. Perhaps from my father whose garage was always impeccably in order, boxes lined straight and clearly marked as to contents.  Perhaps from my mother who taught us to make our beds with "hospital corners", neatly and tightly, and wasn't satisfied until we did so. No matter the source, somewhere along the line I got obsessive about order, about things being lined up properly, about a place for everything and everything in its place.This compulsion has served me sometimes and worked to my detriment  at other times.  There is so much to keep track of in life, so many details associated with living in the world, so many deadlines and due dates and important days on the calendar. Keeping up with that, clearly, is where the organizational skills I have developed over the years have come in very, very handy.

There is, however, a downside to my aversion to disorder.  Life is not always neat and tidy.  It is, in fact, downright messy and just horribly disorganized at times. And the world is chock full of people who have no such compulsion for order and neatness.  Sometimes it is important  to be able to accept the messes and the confusing jumble of whatever is in disarray at the moment  and just allow it to be without working myself up into neat freak disaster mode.  Any time I rail against what is, I've found, I seem to get more and more of the same popping up in my life.  Acceptance of what is, on the other hand, allows it to resolve itself in its own time without my peace being disturbed one little bit.