Magazines vs. reality

I was so pleased to give my car a good cleaning inside and out a couple of weeks ago. I make it a point to do this every spring and fall, although of course I run it through the car wash more often than that.

Then I remembered what I read in a magazine once … that we’re supposed to do this thorough vehicle cleaning EVERY WEEK. I chuckled softly to myself.

What we see and read in magazines is often so far from reality. Take, for instance, washing and drying bed sheets. I make it a point to do this during the last week of every month. Yes, just once a month. But a certain magazine I won’t name (with the initials R.S.) says we need to do this chore once a week.

I understand that this may be necessary for those living in a hot climate, battling night sweats, showering in the morning, etc. But we all sleep separately from one another, shower in the evening, and are blessed to have good air conditioning. And thankfully, my body wakes me up before menopause comes knocking at night with a hot flash.

Another recommended magazine task is to separate your laundry by color. As someone who does a load of laundry every day, once again, I break this rule and … gasp … don’t separate anything. Mind you, if something is brand-new and red, or delicate, or a new pair of dark wash jeans … absolutely I separate items. But day to day? Nope.

We’ve only had one pink sock and shirt debacle in the decades I’ve been doing this. Granted, none of us dress in business attire during the week or dress up often, so our clothes aren’t fancy. It all works for us.

And don’t get me started on how magazines think our homes should look. Whenever I see a newly renovated, spotless home with 100 percent modern, updated interiors, and landscaping made by angels in a magazine, I tell myself, “This isn’t real … this isn’t real … this isn’t real.” Well, it’s not real for probably 99 percent of us.

A fellow Reporter columnist always says “don’t mind our house, we live here” whenever I visit her. Her house is always lovely inside and out. But yes, there are signs that – gasp – she and her husband actually live there, with books and newspapers scattered in the living room and a few dishes out in the kitchen. I love it all, just like I love her.

My husband and I work full-time, and we do the best we can to keep our house picked up, repaired, decluttered, and clean. We do have a little help from my friend Alyssa, who comes to deep clean every three weeks, and our son Jacob. It’s perfect imperfectly and probably always will be even when (or “if,” in my case) we retire.

I’d love to see magazines move closer to reality. Wouldn’t it be great to see a cobweb in a photo, or toys scattered about, or a few weeds in a front yard? We could all breathe a sigh of relief and know that we’re not alone in our imperfections.

Until that happens, I’d love to have you stop by our home. Just remember that we “live here” and are grateful to do so … day in and day out.

Amy Shankland is a writer and fundraising professional living in Noblesville with her husband John, two sons, two dogs, and a cat. You can reach her via email at amys@greenavenue.info.