“There are days when any electrical appliance in the house, including the vacuum cleaner seems to offer more entertainment than the TV set.”-Harriet Van Horne.
As much as rain is cleansing (we’ve been schooled in that one), there is something cathartic about cleaning. I’m not talking about rinsing dishes and loading dishwashers, but honest-to-goodness culling and cleaning. Years ago, in despair, I resorted to FlyLady, and she and I became buddies, unbeknownst to her. She gave me back enough control that I felt good about my house again, and thus, good about my mothering, and consequently, good about myself and the job I had as a stay-at-home mom. In this age of immediate gratification, perhaps there is nothing more instantaneously rewarding than seeing the fruits of your labor in a clean and well kept home. Recently, we’ve cleaned so many things, I can hardly keep track, but there is something deeply satisfying in taking something that is messed up and putting it back together again. I grumble a lot when I clean, mostly because I don’t have the right tools, so I often hurt myself. Today, I have battle wounds of learning how to use an electric drill and dropping a two legged Old Smokey on my sandaled foot—(I broke FlyLady’s rule to wear laced up shoes.) By the way, the drill was to replace all the knobs on 44-year old kitchen doors.
I learned that having the right tools and knowing how to use them was absolute key. I also learned plugging my iPod into my computer and having some good God tunes changed my mood. I said as many bad words as I did thank you Lords for each success or failure of getting a cruddy old handle off a cabinet door. Then, I said as many sorry Lords for my potty mouth. I was constantly reminded that I was doing my work for Him, and hopefully growing in obedience, despite the falls in my vocabulary. And today I am back at it again—ready to learn and ready to feel the satisfaction of a hard day’s work. I can’t wait to show you the before and after pictures, but for dramatic effect, I’ll leave you waiting.