The Thrill of Cleaning
Alright, so I know I'm weird, but I get quite a thrill out of cleaning and organising stuff.
In the past few months I have helped out family members with cleaning their homes to an empty, ready to move in state. I am very proud that those of my own kids were remarkably easy, as they are all organised, clean individuals, and it was as smooth as silk.
Then there was the one I wrote about previously that boggled the mind, curdled the gut contents and made you seriously wonder how people live in that way.
That's when the OCD kicks in, the "I'm never going to be like that" mantra that I have carried over 4 decades. But time isn't kind sometimes, and the way you actually want to live in a clean, pristine, carefully arranged environment just doesn't eventuate.
Other times though, well, then it gets fun! The spousal being departs for parts unknown to most of us, the localised offspring depart for fun and sun, the boarder retreats for fear of being asked to assist, and even the cats seem to hide from me.
That was yesterday! All spare rooms ready for the arrival of kings and queens, furniture polished and gleaming, even the dodgy fish tank that has had a vacant sign out the front for over 6 months got removed and a nice little arrangement of glassware and wine accouterments displayed in it's place.
In a strange way, cleaning the physical helps to clean the mental as well. I've seen memes that say "A clean home is the sign of a deranged mind" but I beg to differ. The odd bit of dust won't send you crazy, but the build up of clutter, debris and the decorating of a burglar style tips are not the sign of a healthy mind. I was once told at work that the 3 important parts of your day are DDD - Decide, Delegate & Do. I see a good clean up in the same way. Decide what has to be thrown out, sent to the Salvos or placed somewhere different. Delegate to those who might own that stuff their need to sort & place items where it doesn't affect you in your own space, and then bloody well Do something about the rest!
Yes I still have a photo album and a quilt on my craft table, but they are at the Do stage. I have a pile of boxes to take to town, but again, they're in the Do pile. And after a lot of deciding, not much delegating and a lot of doing, the place looks great and I can relax and actually achieve something.
With the eclipse of last week and the energising air happening around us where everything will change, and we don't know for better or worse, just that it is happening, this is my way of coping and being prepared. Regardless of what life throws at me, my house is clean & organised.
Ready for the world.
In the past few months I have helped out family members with cleaning their homes to an empty, ready to move in state. I am very proud that those of my own kids were remarkably easy, as they are all organised, clean individuals, and it was as smooth as silk.
Then there was the one I wrote about previously that boggled the mind, curdled the gut contents and made you seriously wonder how people live in that way.
That's when the OCD kicks in, the "I'm never going to be like that" mantra that I have carried over 4 decades. But time isn't kind sometimes, and the way you actually want to live in a clean, pristine, carefully arranged environment just doesn't eventuate.
Other times though, well, then it gets fun! The spousal being departs for parts unknown to most of us, the localised offspring depart for fun and sun, the boarder retreats for fear of being asked to assist, and even the cats seem to hide from me.
That was yesterday! All spare rooms ready for the arrival of kings and queens, furniture polished and gleaming, even the dodgy fish tank that has had a vacant sign out the front for over 6 months got removed and a nice little arrangement of glassware and wine accouterments displayed in it's place.
In a strange way, cleaning the physical helps to clean the mental as well. I've seen memes that say "A clean home is the sign of a deranged mind" but I beg to differ. The odd bit of dust won't send you crazy, but the build up of clutter, debris and the decorating of a burglar style tips are not the sign of a healthy mind. I was once told at work that the 3 important parts of your day are DDD - Decide, Delegate & Do. I see a good clean up in the same way. Decide what has to be thrown out, sent to the Salvos or placed somewhere different. Delegate to those who might own that stuff their need to sort & place items where it doesn't affect you in your own space, and then bloody well Do something about the rest!
Yes I still have a photo album and a quilt on my craft table, but they are at the Do stage. I have a pile of boxes to take to town, but again, they're in the Do pile. And after a lot of deciding, not much delegating and a lot of doing, the place looks great and I can relax and actually achieve something.
With the eclipse of last week and the energising air happening around us where everything will change, and we don't know for better or worse, just that it is happening, this is my way of coping and being prepared. Regardless of what life throws at me, my house is clean & organised.
Ready for the world.
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