Hoarders are interesting people

After having belonged to a hoarding group for a while, I think you can put hoarders into two groups - those that are overly creative and sensitive and those that have lives that are messed up in every way and their hoarding is just part of the complete and utter chaos.

The second group might be creative and sensitive too of course, but it's hard to tell. Maybe they are just less organised hoarders? I'm not saying the mess is their fault. They probably haven't made good choices, but sometimes that ability is taken away from you by stress or circumstance. Sometimes the only choices are bad choices. Once you get yourself in a hole, it is almost impossible to get out by yourself and if you have no social support then you don't get out.

The second group also seem more caught up in themselves. They don't seem to have much empathy or interest in other people's problems or successes and just want to talk about how awful their lives are. Many seem to have mental health issues too. 

The worry for me is that one group could just be the logical extension of the other.... Which just makes me want to quote Sherlock Holmes, but since I'm unlikely to be in the 'grace of God' I'd better just help myself not go from creative hoarder to 'life in chaos hoarder'.

Anyway, any time I doubt the choices I've made in life, I can think about these other people and know it can be worse. I could have done worse.