She surprised me

My niece is completing her junior year in high school and she has a hard earned reputation as a hard worker. But I had no idea what a tough cookie she could be!

When I hired her to help me organize my livingroom, we agreed at a fee of $10/hour for 3 hours. In addition to helping me sort and file the paperwork that has taken over the house, I tasked her with keeping me focused. No matter what I told her, or how much I whined, I told her it was her job to remind me, "I need the money and you need organization."

I had no idea how seriously she would take it! Picking up an empty envelope, she asked me why I still had it. I pointed out to her that I needed it for the return address. "Get your address book and write it in there. I'll wait." She wasn't kidding. She handled me the same way when it came to an offer from Comcast I was "gonna" respond to. "Do it now, sign up now," she said, reasoning that then I could get rid of the flyer. Ouch! Over and over again, she challenged me and kicked my butt. We went from the paperwork to the books I've read to the mess that obscured my kitchen counters.

She reminded me of that ferocious little terrier, taking on the bigger dog.

I ended up with a big bag of paper in the recycle bin, two bags and a box for Goodwill, and so much more carpet than I remembered! I'm inspired to keep with the decluttering.