When we first moved in, we would walk around the neighborhood a lot. I used to peek into the other houses to get an idea of how they looked inside. I don't think I was the only one doing that. I have noticed from inside our house that other neighbors liked to do the same and look into our place. Especially since I like to keep the curtains ope, as well as the garage when it's not cold.
I also like to look at the for sale and for rent listings. They post pictures of the units. I like how neat everything looks. Our house is pretty messy, and I get jealous of how uncluttered the other places are. Of course, I realized later on that they obviously cleaned up in order to show off the place. But still, I like looking at them and imagining how our place could be.
Our neighbor friend used to post videos on YouTube, during quarantine when there was nothing to do. Their place is in the corner like ours, but mirrored. It was interesting seeing and comparing their place to ours.
At the bus stop a few blocks away, there is another corner house that is just like ours. They don't have curtains and I can see inside sometimes. They don't seem to have a lot of decorations. When I first noticed it, I thought maybe the place was empty. But eventually, I realized there were people living in there. They just seem to be very neat. They don't have a lot of stuff outside their house either. Their cars are always inside their garage, which is also very neat.
The people who live in it are a couple. They walk around the neighborhood sometimes. They don't have dogs. I doubt they have other pets inside. Their lights are hardly ever on. Since they don't have curtains, they probably get a lot of sunlight. Not that I look in at all hours of the day, but I can't remember seeing the lights on there at any time, though I usually don't think about the house when I'm not waiting for the bus with my son.
Sometimes I see the couple driving. They have a fancy car. I don't know cars myself, but it's one that you would definitely notice on the street. And their other car is just a regular SUV. Their garage door opens, and they park inside and then the door closes again and they disappear.
I'm kind of jealous of how neat and simple their place is. I don't care much for the car, but I also like how easygoing and relaxed they seem to be when they go for their walks. Kind of reminds me of how I feel when I first walk into a hotel room, when things are clean and there is no clutter. Yet.
But then I think about how this couple is able to keep things neat. They don't have kids. I don't think they are old enough to have grown up children either. So it must be easy to put things away and not have them moved.
Our place has toys everywhere. Obviously in the kids' rooms, they have their things. But also in the living room and dining room. In the kitchen I can assure you I can find some toy of some sort. And in every bathroom. In my office, recently my younger one brought down his marble run set. He has broken it up since, and the pieces are all over the floor. The garage is full of toys and games. One of our neighbors noticed it a few weeks ago and commented that we must have equipment for every sport.
Anyways, yeah, I do wish our place would be neater sometimes. But I realize why it's messy. And every mess that I see, I can remember one or both of my kids sitting there playing. There is a memory with every mess.
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