Cleaning House

I've been doing a lot of cleaning this week, both literally and figuratively. There's something wonderful and relaxing (as well as affirming) about coming home to order. A clean and organized home makes me feel as though my life is on track. I'm always amazed at the way in which a sparkling sink and neatly folded laundry can do wonders for my state of mind. There's nothing mysterious about it - really, it's simply that if one can find things more easily and doesn't have to spend time on menial tasks, one will have the time to focus on other parts of one's life. (This may not be applicable to all, so in this particular case, "one" refers directly to me). Today, as I sit here blogging with laundry almost complete (there must be something in my subconscious that makes me deliberately leave laundry to do, always - secretly I think I enjoy it) and with the smells of green cleaning products and a vanilla-scented candle surrounding me, I feel completely prepared to tackle the week ahead. It's important to note this, as I'm sure I will need to refer to this feeling during times in which my dishes are piled haphazardly into the sink and I am running crazily through the apartment on a weekday morning looking for my keys (which, after 5 minutes of frantic searching, I will discover have been in my hand the whole time).

My figurative cleaning house has been more exhausting, but more exhilarating than I could have imagined. Suffice to say that I've allowed some negativity in my life because I've allowed others to influence too much my opinion of myself. So this week, I decided it was time to get rid of all that. I pulled some old emotion off the shelf and threw it away upon realizing it had expired. I tied a few loose ends, and swept out the door some toxic items that were beginning to be dangerous for this house. At the end of the stay, I stand proudly in my little apartment with clean hands and a fresh mind, and feel prepared to welcome whatever life may bring in the days ahead.