Friday, August 8, 2008

Bemused Writer Musings Or How I Learned to Clean Better

It’s interesting the things we carry inside us. Hidden in crevasses buried deep in dark secret places, that we’ve never even known existed, let alone excavated. Things we never knew existed at all. Until they come out in inexplicable ways, at strange times. Sometimes not the happening at all, just the catalyst. But just like our houses need spring cleaning so do our souls. No matter what the season. And once we face whatever it is we are carrying inside, it no longer has the power to control us. Still might affect us here and there until we get used to not letting it. As we shine and polish our possessions, which is easier than cleaning and polishing and letting our souls shine, maybe we can let the mundane task [or even hated task] become a more introspective time to let our spirits speak to us.
And vacuuming can be a very zen thing – I saw on a board somewhere that a vacuum cleaner expert said most people really don’t vacuum effectively. Most people run a vacuum cleaner back and forth across the floor as if racing those dust bunnies to the corners.
According to the expert, the vacuuming needs to be done much more slowly, giving the machine time to suck up all the stuff agitated up to the top by the beater bar.
Made sense to me. So I began to try to go more slowly and vacuum better. [and hopefully suck up more dust mites into oblivion! Have you seen what those things Look like!!!]
And I discovered as I moved more slowly it became a more relaxing way to clean. Okay, still not my favorite thing I want to do, or run to do. But better. A bit.
So I say why not try it. Not only helps your environment, your house, and maybe your allergies. But also maybe a help for your soul. To bring body, soul, and spirit, and even environment, more into alignment.
And as a friend and fellow writing group member says – with a wave of her hand, ‘it’s all good.’

But at least we can make it better. Sometimes just by thinking we can. Or at least trying something to help the thinking along. ;)

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