I had the best day.
I know I am about to paint myself as a veritable lunatic, but my happy day was all about cleaning. Cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. My fridge is suddenly empty after ridding it of all its spoils. I surprised my muscles by lugging and pushing beds over carpet to vacuum up long-lost popcorn seeds, cat hair, and foil wrappers from tiny Easter eggs. I did endless loads of laundry, washing all of our winter coats and mittens to pack up nicely for next winter. Speaking of winter, our cold weather wardrobes were finally purged, and tossed unceremoniously into plastic storage bins. I soon realized I have a pretty empty closet that requires a bit of shopping to add spring colour.
As I rotated load after freshly laundered load on my clothes line, I felt my mind actually clear of the kind of stress one can control. Because it's not just about having a clean house or "getting things done". It's about controlling the things we can in this crazy world. We can't control what's going on outside our own insular worlds, but we can take care of our families, ourselves, and create a home that makes us feel safe, warm and calm when we are tucked within. And that is where my satisfaction came from today. I cleared the cobwebs as I cleaned, both in my home and in my mind. Worries were pushed aside as I scrubbed, heaved furniture, and hung out clothes. My mind worked through what problems it could as I laboured, and the physical work quieted the rest.
As I rotated load after freshly laundered load on my clothes line, I felt my mind actually clear of the kind of stress one can control. Because it's not just about having a clean house or "getting things done". It's about controlling the things we can in this crazy world. We can't control what's going on outside our own insular worlds, but we can take care of our families, ourselves, and create a home that makes us feel safe, warm and calm when we are tucked within. And that is where my satisfaction came from today. I cleared the cobwebs as I cleaned, both in my home and in my mind. Worries were pushed aside as I scrubbed, heaved furniture, and hung out clothes. My mind worked through what problems it could as I laboured, and the physical work quieted the rest.
And then I hung out with my family.
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photo credits:
top photo: Katrin Cargill.com
second and third photo: Toast.uk
