First Impressions

Yesterday a young man my husband works with came over for the first time. I say young man and feel about seventy, but he WAS in his early twenties and I am so not in my early, mid, or even late twenties anymore; and for that I am actually grateful (my twenties were not so fun). Anyway he came over and after he leftI just started thinking about first impressions. He was coming over to look at one of my husband's guns. So lets just take a moment and describe what he experienced in just walking into my house for five minutes for the very first time. He walked in the door and into chaos. Now no one was screaming and no one was completely naked so that was a plus. However he had to be careful not to fall on the stairs, or when he got up the stairs, or when he was walking into the kitchen or our bedroom. I also asked him to keep his shoes on because the floors were dirty and because the baby sometimes carries food and then drops it and anyway shoes are just a really good plan in our house. I never take my shoes off, ever. I used to love being barefoot, but with children, no more! So he carefully came up the stairs. We had five children in the house plus my sister who had sort of deeked into the bathroom to,well, anyway she was just in there fixing her hair but she had the door open. I said hello. I was wearing old capris covered in paint and an old shirt. Our house was so messy. Three children were watching a movie so they were sort of out of commission. We dont have a TV so they watch on an old computer that sits on a desk. They sit on an assortment of chairs and bar stools. My couches are covered in couch covers that are always hanging half off. The coffee table is being used a shield to cover a corner of the living room where certain things are plugged in so the baby cant reach them. Another chair was strategically covering the computer and and printer area so that the baby couldn't turn that off. A rubber chicken, water bottles, wet towels from water play, laundry, a doll carriage and a coon skin cap, two suitcases; all of these things were items on my floor in the brief time he was in our home. The young man proceeded down the hallway and decided to wash his hands in the filthy bathroom so he had a bit of a run in with my sister. Everywhere he looked and went was overflowing with people. He got his hands washed although I am not sure how they got dried since there was nothing available for that. Then he had to go into my bedroom where the baby was sleeping and where all the guns are stored in a locked gun cabinet. We literally have no where else to put the guns. I never imagined I would consent to having, guns of all things, stored in my bedroom but I do. I dont have a dresser and my clothes are stored in bins up in my closet however they were all out on the floor. The men had to whisper and tiptoe and managed to not wake the baby up. They got the gun they wanted. Then came back out and the young man mentioned he had a live mouse in his car that he needed to take to his snake. WELL, all of a sudden the movie was not such a focus, and there were five children running out to this vehicle to see this mouse. Most of them were half dressed. So they saw the little mouse then everyone came back in lamenting its fate. The young man came back in to say goodbye and as he left he called out, 'You have a lovely family here.' I looked around at the total chaos. I was just going to attempt to start dinner so I had to first wash the many dishes left over from feeding five children all day and the chocolate pie making. I looked like my usual self:  no makeup, crazy hair. I already told the state of my wardrobe and that is what I usually wear. That simple sentence and just the way he said it changed everything. I felt so uplifted. What a freakin nice thing to say as you leave someone's house! He said it with such sincerity and sweetness! We do have a really lovely family!!! Sometimes I just need that little reminder and yesterday someone I had never met before, came into our chaos for just a few minutes, and when he left; he left a blessing.