Commitment Intervention

This past weekend went by so quickly, they all do.
However, this weekend I was actually productive! (just don't ask my mom if she agrees, she will probably tell you about the times I spent fussing about all the work she had me doing and then she will tell you about my commitment problem).
So, I'm going to go ahead and blog about my commitment problem.
I have a commitment problem.
When I make a purchase, I have a hard time removing the tags. Removing the tag means I HAVE to keep the item purchased. It's so final. After the tag is removed, there is no going back! I lose the feeling of "I can change my mind at any moment!" and move into the "I'm now stuck with it!" stage.
I once kept tags hanging from a brand new couch for 3 months. True story.
Who does that?
Me, that's who.

Mom and dad came into town on Saturday. My dad came to go fishing with Sev (imagine that) and my mom came to hold a commitment intervention. Well, she thought she was coming to help decorate and add the final touches to our new living quarters. Really, she was there to help me remove tags, finally decide where to hang pictures (after the pictures had been sitting on the floor below the spot where I was pretty sure I wanted them for over a month) and pick out items such as rugs, lamps, bedding and towels (because every time I thought I had found the item I needed, I couldn't commit and never made the purchase).

It took me over a month to finally decide on the furniture I wanted for our new living room.
We sold our living room furniture when we sold our house. For over a month I had a futon sitting in our new living room, serving the purpose of a couch.
This proved to be very inconvenient when we had guests over.
Something about four adults trying to share a futon just doesn't work.
Mom, with a huge push from Sev (basically he said "get in the car we HAVE to find a couch and chair today!!"), helped me pick out furniture.
Furniture shopping is hard for me. I'm afraid I'll decide on something and then run across something a day later that I like better. Therefore, I just don't buy anything...I'm always waiting on the best thing to come along. It's really just a commitment problem...have I mentioned I have one?

Saturday we got our new mattress and couch.
Mom made me remove the tag from the mattress, though I still think it's illegal (it says so right on the tag!).
I struggled with removing the tags from the couch.
I just couldn't do it. I was in commitment overload.
Just like with any disorder, you have to handle it one small step at a time people!
Mom finally had me hang all of the pictures, mirrors and decorations that had been adorning my floors. We had a minor set back in my intervention when we hung something and then gasp!!decided we didn't like where we had hung it! I knew it would happen! I'm just now getting over the nervous twitch it caused me to have ;-)

My problem runs deeper than with just house decorations and furniture.
Oh yes, it runs much deeper.
I also have a hard time committing to clothing!
I am notorious for buying clothing and leaving the tags on up until the second I'm actually running out of the door WITH that article of clothing ON!
Mom and I were actually in the parking lot of target when I had her remove a tag from the blouse I had on.
Oh yeah, it's that bad.

Mom and I accomplished a lot this past weekend.
I think the intervention went well.
The final test came when mom had to leave right after we picked out, purchased and placed the rug in my living room. My crutch had left. I had no one to help me make a commitment to the rug. I sat on the couch (the couch that still had tags hanging from it) and stared at the rug. I wrung my hands, I tilted my head from side to side, I squinted my eyes, I thought long and hard about it...and finally....I allowed myself to throw away the tag that was my ticket to returning it if I changed my mind. I made a decision to keep the rug. I was free! It was liberating! I had made a commitment!

Mom called awhile later and told me to keep the tags for the rug, just in case we ran across one we liked better....

**sigh**

I have a commitment problem, I think I got it honest.