You'd probably never guess what I was doing about 24 hours before I went into labor, both times: cleaning the house. Well, technically, before my second child, I was out in the garden, pulling up weeds, but I consider that task in the same category: getting my house in order. There's something about cleaning up and clearing out that has an almost magical way of re-shuffling my thoughts into proper working order, so I can focus on the things that really need my attention. (You know, like getting set for a new baby...!)
Please don't let me give you the wrong impression: There are plenty of times when our house looks like a roving band of toddlers went marauding through it.
And we affectionately refer to our laundry room as "Laundry Mountain."
I'm just saying that when my life gets really, really, REALLY crazy (this week, for example), sometimes the best thing to do (for me, anyway) is put down the paperwork and pick up a sponge.
Because when my to-do lists are overflowing, I need a clean slate somewhere.
I can't think straight when I'm looking around the room and noticing (even with peripheral vision) dirty dishes not loaded into the dishwasher. Or an orphaned sock in the middle of the living room floor. Or the couch's throw pillows thrown everywhere except on the couch. So, that's when I get up and straighten up. Which realigns my mind. Win-win.
It's almost meditative. Cleaning takes me out of my "mind chatter" and into "clean slate" mode. Scrubbing a sink is easier for me than sitting still and humming "ommmmmm" (and I just end up falling asleep on the yoga mat.)
"But Mom," my kids have whined to me on many occasions, "Whyyyyyyyyyyyy do we neeeeeeeeeeed to clean our rooms?"
"Clean house, clear mind," I tell them. Turns out the kids think better, too, when they're not tripping over their own Legos. They're calmer in a clean room. They have room to groove, instead of acting like little bulls in little china shops, knocking over anything and everything in their paths.
If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you already know that I'm a big proponent of evaluating our possessions on a regular basis and figuring out what we aren't using anymore. If you have so much stuff to clean that it's exhausting to even think about it, it's probably high-time to weed it out. Pass it on to somebody who will get good use out of it. That could mean a yard sale, Craig's List, eBay, or Goodwill, but sometimes, it's as easy as putting a "FREE!" sign on it at the curb.
So, if your mind is feeling cluttered, take a look around at the current state of your house. Notice any correlation?
Your turn: Do you ever clean the house to clear your mind? Let's hear it in the comments section below--I'm all ears!
****************************************************************************************************************************
- Subscribe to weekly posts from Joyfully Green via email or RSS reader: just click here.
- Come say hello to me on Instagram by clicking here.
****************************************************************************************************************************
© 2014 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com. All rights reserved. All photos and text digitally fingerprinted and watermarked. Please do not use any of my photographs without asking me first for permission at [email protected] and then clearly linking back to this site with photo credits. Site licensed by Creative Commons.
Comments