Hoarding....

I have been a Fly Baby for 6 yrs. Follow the FlyLady link to discover the joys of Flying (Finally Loving Yourself). A testimonial was sent out today about Children of Hoarders, along with a site that helps these children deal with their parents hoarding. It was a frightening thing to see.

When I looked at video's posted by these adult C.O.H.'s, I saw what my life could become without flying. Those videos seem to shortcurcuit my brain. I lost 2 hours of my life just looking and feeling overwhelmed by someone elses hoarded clutter. Paths thru clutter to a made bed (slightly rumpled)--Mountains of junk mail, piles of books and magazines that had tumbled to the floor--Piles of clothes that were a fire hazard...the whole place was a fire waiting to happen.

Hoarding isn't exclusive to inanimate objects. The animal abuse stories in the news...homes filled with 70 cats...etc. In one home an elderly lady insisted (while they removed animal after animal) that she only had 7 cats. It was horrific. The smell of feces and amonia overwhelmed the animal rescuers. The health issues for the woman and the animals were incredible.

Hoarding is now being considered a mental illness and studies are being conducted to find ways to deal with this illness. To find out more: www.childrenofhoarders.com

Like many other disorders, it doesn't happen over night...it starts out with "oh, I might need that someday" and then one day you open your eyes to discover your surrounded by a nightmare. Unfortunately, some never wake up from that nightmare. Some are found lying amongst their treasures injured or dead.