April 28th was my 3-year anniversary with NEAT Jax and our 3rd anniversary as “Team NEAT Jax” including me, Olivia, and Maureen. At 46 years old, I’ve been working for over 30 years of my life in various jobs ranging from babysitting to retail to door-to-door vacuum sales (please don’t ask) to Project Management to Real Estate and many things in between. I have a college degree and a wide range of skills and talents. When I tell you that none of the careers I’ve ever pursued has put me to the test the way that being an Organizer with NEAT Jax has, I’m not joking. I have had to be mom, friend, therapist, boss bitch, good cop, bad cop, cleaning lady, MacGyver, Bob the Builder, and sometimes just a good organizer (those Home Edit ladies should watch OUR show!). My many years of playing Tetris on my GameBoy have come in handy and I hate to admit it but so has Geometry class! I have my own set of knee pads (insert lucky husband joke), my own toolbox, my own set of drills, and a fancy-ass label maker. I’ve just about figured out how to interpret IKEA instructions and nothing scares me when it comes to assembling and installing various small furniture/shelving/garage organizing systems. I’ve never felt so
empowered as a woman. I’ve given this job my blood, sweat, and tears. If someone is going to need a Band-Aid on a project, it’s going to be me. I will break a nail and I will get a bruise and I will scratch something. And then there’s the sweat – ugh. Garages in July in Florida should be a Discovery Channel reality show. How much sweat CAN you wring out of your clothes at the end of the day? Also – bugs and spiders. I’m the designated “critter gitter” (I think we should charge extra for this). As for tears, I’ve left many a project and cried – either out of satisfaction or pure frustration. However hard we try, some clients aren’t ready and I get mad at myself when I can’t inspire them. So many parts of this work are personal and I carry it with me. But my favorite tears are the ones I cry with the clients
when they are happy and proud of themselves – I feel their sense of accomplishment with them and I love to carry that with me too. I am so proud of this little family we have created. These women I work with are amazing and inspiring. We lift each other up and walk forward together. We are moms and wives and daughters and sisters and friends – but I think to each other we are just us – strong beautiful women, open to helping other people and giving of ourselves while making our little corner of the world a little neater as we go.
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