Day Four

About being clean:

So, on Tuesday I did a lot of straightening up (in addition to my sweeping.) When I went to sleep, the kitchen was in order. When I woke up Wednesday morning, there were remnants of late night snacking all over the counters. Spoons, butter wrappers, a half eaten oatmeal crisp concoction, dishes, etc.  I spent the first few minutes of my day simply cleaning up after someone else. I do this often enough, but that day I really noticed it simply because it was cleaning I was doing due to someone else's mess. That is not as gratifying! It also made me think that this is what it must be like to be a mother; constantly picking up after your child. You must get in a groove, especially with a newly mobile toddler, and then it just becomes what you do, it is part of your routine. Bleh! No thank you.

Anyway, Thursday morning I awoke to dog barf all over the house. Again, visions of motherhood flashed through my mind, albeit a sick child in the middle of the night would be an entirely different experience than this. Anyway, I was - once again - inadvertently asked to clean up after someone else. Hmm mm.

So today, I did some cleaning for us. For the house, to make way for the new couches. I was feeling rather annoyed by the mess I needed to make in order to achieve...well, order. The mess isn't gone, but there is some organization to our T.V. room that wasn't there before. That is a good feeling.

And on that note, today I was inspired (or reaffirmed) by a co-worker, who announced to his class (of Kindergartners) that their job this weekend was to go home and clean their rooms, especially under their beds. He ended his speech with, "A clean room is a clean mind" or something to that effect. It was just what I needed to hear to inspire me to come home and get to work. It is true, when my house is clean, I feel a sense of clarity and peace that is muddled when there is clutter about. I wonder how different my life would be if I was always clean? I usually arrive at the conclusion that the stress of maintaining a clean house would create more angst, wrinkles, chest clenching, and anxiety than the mess itself. Sort of like giving up sugar: is the stress of the commitment worth the health benefits?

I'm intrigued by all of this.  I am also looking forward to a happy balance between tidiness and peace of mind.