No, no, no-it’s not a house filling up with trash!
Many children of hoarders have a story about “the blinds.” A sampling of quotes from our Yahoo support group:
“Always the house was so dark and next to never was a window opened. I really like the logo and that it shows the blinds coming up too adds a really positive hopeful touch.”
“Almost everyone I know can tell me oh yeah, I know somebody like that. Even my hairdresser today here knew one back in Ohio, who was the next street over and NEVER had the blinds up- Sound familiar?”
“I have a blinds story too! The blinds were ALWAYS down and whenever I see green blinds like that it takes me right back to the kitchen at my moms! I think even the sides were TAPED. The blinds would get warped from the sun or age, I don’t know, and it was always such a big deal. that those gaps were not letting anyone see in Blinds, blinds, blinds.
For me, they represent so much of the HIDING. My mom would fly over to them too!”
“Too funny how we can relate to something like that, BLINDS.ARG, THE BLINDS, THE BLINDS!!!”
“Yeah, every window in my parent’s house is covered with blinds or curtains or the old bedsheet mom sewed into a curtain (that’s why you can’t throw away old sheets). Andthose are to remain CLOSED. And don’t even THINK about opening a window. They bi**h about the electricity cost of running the air if you open a window (even if the air isn’t on), but yet it’s OK to turn on every light in the house in the middle of the day. Ahem. Anyway, that’s one of the reasons the logo, of all things, got me a little emotional there.”
I feel ashamed, I didn’t pay close enough attention before! I was seeing the little Icon and to me I was seeing the window in reverse, such as a pile filling up a house, Ha, Ha, Okay that was not funny. But I clicked on the about us and read about your logo and took a second look. Wow, great Idea! Yes, the blinds, curtains, window clings that never got changed. My mom still has one stubborn window cling from a fall scene from way back in ….87???? It still hangs there faded and forever stuck to a window that once was beautiful, that I once watched birds out of that has not had the drapes pulled back in …at least… oh my god… 25 years!
I was seven when it started. I want you to know and I am proud of the fact that I did NOT inherit the hoarding and the funny thing, didn’t even think of it until I started writing you, is the first thing I do every morning is open up my big beautiful picture window wide and open up the blinds on the back window. I open all the curtains in the kitchen to let in the light. It drives my man nuts, he doesn’t want people looking in that early in the morning, but I LOVE it! I have nothing to hide! My kids do not have to hide and my friends can come over now! my kids friends can come over, and have sleepovers, I love, love, love having a clean home!! it makes me so happy that I have come so far in escaping the horrors I grew up in 🙂 🙂 🙂 GREAT LOGO!!! and GREAT SITE!!! THANK YOU!!
Our logo designer, a child of Hoarder(s) who volunteered to make it, wanted to be sure our logo represented HOPE.
You can see the progression of the Hoarding disorder one way (with the blinds being pulled further down), and the path to healing and a home full of light the other way (with the blinds being pulled up).
We thank her for her creativity in creating the perfect symbol to represent us, and the path to healing that we hope for our parents.