Rick and I have a joke that if we want to keep people away from the house, we just need to clean it. It started when we first got married and actually had visitors complain about how clean we kept the house - a few even asked us to please stop cleaning when they came over, because it made them uncomfortable. Sure, we know that's just people being weird. What's stranger is that even after nearly eighteen years of marriage, we've noticed that people still avoid our house like it's contaminated by a plague when we clean it. So now if we know that we don't have the time or energy to entertain, we simply get out the lawnmower and Soft Scrub. It works every time - and makes for some great laughs, too.
That's not the only thing that runs people off. Today, we'll take a tongue-in-cheek look at how to run people off and clear your calendar. Whether you're an introvert in need of your alone time, stressed out and needing a break from people, or you're a writer that needs to get back to work on that current novel, here are a few more ways to run people off so you can get that much-needed alone time:
Schedule hard work around the house. Tell people they'll have to cook for themselves, and they'll show up with a trunk full of groceries and an apron. Tell them they have to clean, and suddenly they're busy. If people are needing favors, just tell them that you need the favor returned, and you sure will appreciate their help with the yard work, scrubbing the kitchen, or moving this weekend. Boom. Gone.
Tell them you have the flu or pink eye. Even the hardiest of souls fear these two diseases, because they are no respecters of persons. I have confined to home with both of these diseases not for convalesce, but to protect others from catching it. When you're carrying around a highly contagious virus or bacteria, it's amazing that the stuff they need you to do isn't that important anymore.
Side note: if you really want to piss people off for good, insist on hanging around with a post-nasal drainage cough and "lose" the medicine.
Get pet birds. The bigger and louder, the better, and insist on letting them out of the cage a lot. I've had birds since I was 10, so imagine my surprise when I found out that a lot of people are scared of them, or repelled by the noise (I know, screaming babies are ok, but a screaming bird with beaks, feathers and wings - OMG). I guess Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds really got into peoples' subconscious. Oh well. There is just two things: Birds are lovable, so you'll probably find that you prefer their company to humans; and birds are like potato chips - you can't have just one. But they're happy, and they'll make you happy even if others don't get it.
I haven't figured out the magic formula for why "I'm busy" works for some people and not others, but if you're a type like us that people don't really respect, then I can tell you that the above tips work for clearing your schedule every time. Oh and by the way, we just finished a major housecleaning, so we're visitor free for at least two weeks.
That's all today. Take care, and have a great rest of the week.
Bye!
That's not the only thing that runs people off. Today, we'll take a tongue-in-cheek look at how to run people off and clear your calendar. Whether you're an introvert in need of your alone time, stressed out and needing a break from people, or you're a writer that needs to get back to work on that current novel, here are a few more ways to run people off so you can get that much-needed alone time:
Schedule hard work around the house. Tell people they'll have to cook for themselves, and they'll show up with a trunk full of groceries and an apron. Tell them they have to clean, and suddenly they're busy. If people are needing favors, just tell them that you need the favor returned, and you sure will appreciate their help with the yard work, scrubbing the kitchen, or moving this weekend. Boom. Gone.
Tell them you have the flu or pink eye. Even the hardiest of souls fear these two diseases, because they are no respecters of persons. I have confined to home with both of these diseases not for convalesce, but to protect others from catching it. When you're carrying around a highly contagious virus or bacteria, it's amazing that the stuff they need you to do isn't that important anymore.
Side note: if you really want to piss people off for good, insist on hanging around with a post-nasal drainage cough and "lose" the medicine.
Get pet birds. The bigger and louder, the better, and insist on letting them out of the cage a lot. I've had birds since I was 10, so imagine my surprise when I found out that a lot of people are scared of them, or repelled by the noise (I know, screaming babies are ok, but a screaming bird with beaks, feathers and wings - OMG). I guess Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds really got into peoples' subconscious. Oh well. There is just two things: Birds are lovable, so you'll probably find that you prefer their company to humans; and birds are like potato chips - you can't have just one. But they're happy, and they'll make you happy even if others don't get it.
I haven't figured out the magic formula for why "I'm busy" works for some people and not others, but if you're a type like us that people don't really respect, then I can tell you that the above tips work for clearing your schedule every time. Oh and by the way, we just finished a major housecleaning, so we're visitor free for at least two weeks.
That's all today. Take care, and have a great rest of the week.
Bye!
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