Looking Obsessive Compulsive

When I was working, my coworker Mr. Fudd, would characterize me as being so OCD that I was really CDO – because that is the proper alphabetical order. Anyway being very strict with the order of steps is imperative when doing research. I was not alone. Mr. Fudd was not too far behind on the OCD train. In fact most of the staff, the ones that lasted anyway, had varying degrees of OCD. As a case in point, one would place flags on cage cards to indicate status and they had to be placed EXACTLY so or she would go nuts and have to re-position every single one! After 27 years I accepted that OCD was just part of my life and I have dealt with it. Even my husband, Sparky would poke fun at me on occasion. But the self isolation and being home bound for so long has resulted in some pretty funny realizations.
1. I am not alone with the OCD – Sparky is way more OCD than I ever realized! For example, I made a grocery list. I have a pad on the refrigerator and as things are used or we discover that we need a specific item, we put it on the list. BUT as I was adding another item he stops me and says, “Don’t write that there! Put it in order of where it is in the store!” Oh snap! Is he a little OCD?!?! The answer is YES.
2. Sparky is much more OCD than I am. How can that be? Well the grocery list described above was niggling at his brain to the extent that he had to, wait for it……………… rewrite the whole list!!
3. After being married for 37 years we have become more alike than we are different. This makes his OCD more explainable. I always knew that he liked an agenda when traveling (which is seriously detailed – down to how much time we could spend at any one place and the hour and minute that we would get up in the morning). Little did I realize that he had surpassed me in the OCD department. Shocking I know!
4. Even with the OCD he cannot, to save his soul, close a cabinet door in the kitchen. This remains a mystery but I’m coming to believe that he leaves them open just to jerk my chain. Which also explains why he is suddenly making it his mission to turn the toilet paper around.. And it isn’t a matter of over vs. under. If it starts out over he will change it to under and a couple days later switch it back to over. The same with moving the hand soap dispenser in the bathroom from one side of the sink to the other… I can’t wait for him to get back in the gym!!