Really, Is It So Difficult?

Over the course of three years, I have not formulated an answer as to why roommates, my roommates, will let their dishes accumulate in the sink and dishwasher and never comprehend they need to be washed until there isn't a clean plate, fork, or spoon left in the cabinets. These dishes literally have food still intact causing sour and rotten scents to diffuse throughout the kitchen. Who lives like that? The entire college demographic cannot possibly fall into this category of logical acceptance; however, my roommates do!

Imagine Roommate One who eats a bowl of cereal every morning. Fine. Logically, you would think the trash would be the answer to pour out the last bit of cereal left in the bowl. Apparently the new trend is to dump it into a sink (that does not have a disposal), swish water around in the bowl, and leave it in the sink for days. It takes 2.5 seconds to add a little soap to (the now, milk & water concoction) with a sponge and hot water and.....voilà, a clean bowl and spoon.

Maybe there really is a rush for Roommate One to leave the house quickly but when I hear, "I'll wash the dishes when I get back" or actually hear that roommate complain about the dishes piled in the sink, blaming the boys, and pretending they never contributed the slightest, I tend to think...this household believes we have a cleaning fairy that is going to make all the mess disappear and the best part of it all, I didn't have to lift a finger!

Cereal eater has nothing on Roommate Two...

"Hi, my name is ____ and I eat twenty times a day because, I love food! Not only do I leave my dishes in the sink, I leave filthy pots and pans on the stove until I realize the girls of the house aren't going to clean them for me. Even when I leave for a weekend, I'll leave them and might even say before I walk out the door, 'Those dishes are mine, I'll clean them when I get back', and don’t actually clean them for a week. I may actually try to pin-point another roommate for causing the mess and laugh.”

It really isn't funny. See my face, not the slightest smirk! Not only is the pile unsightly, it's embarrassing for me when I have guests, it attracts undesirable bugs, and is simply unfair to those who feel they can't eat in their own house because of the disgusting ambiance the pile creates!

I do often remind myself that we are all raised differently and could give reason to my three roommates' belief that the above is indeed, normal… acceptable. Still, I don’t understand why they do not feel the need to clean up after themselves just to ensure the house itself remains intact! How could you even want to cook when the sour pile of dishes in the sink is the first thing you see when you walk into the kitchen? Truly, the clockwork of eating, washing your dishes, letting them dry, and stocking the cabinets back until the next use doesn’t take that much effort or time out of ones daily life. I will continue to live with the situation knowing if it hasn't changed in two years, there is no reason it will now.