The Unbearable Lightness of Cleaning

Carved out some more sacred space today.   I took the day off from work today because the heater guy was coming to inspect the old girl.  (She passed, thank God).  Got a bunch of bags out - trash and donations.  Would have done more but the vacuum cleaner tried to eat my sneaker, and now the beater bar isn't beating.  Yay.  I hope that I will be able to get more out of here before Christmas - once the tree comes in next week, it gets harder to work around.

Yet, little by little, it's coming together.  Still have a looooong way to go to reach my goal, but it's coming together.  And the weird thing is, now, when I go into my kitchen or laundry room, I don't feel as claustrophobic.  I find it's easier to breathe; that the rooms feel lighter somehow.  I actually feel like I could cook a meal that involves more than the microwave, and I don't dread doing laundry (as much - because, let's be serious, it's laundry.  yuck).

I'm curious to see if this is just a temporary high from inhaling Formula 409 being able to see the floor next to the dryer, or having lids for all of my containers.  What if it gets better the emptier my house gets?  Sweet.  I've got this fleeting glimpse of a day when I can come home from work, sit in the recliner and study WITHOUT GUILT. Maybe even have a glass of wine.   It's almost enough to keep me going - the thought of conquering this self-imposed barricade between me and the future.

Maybe by uncluttering my home, I can unclutter my heart and make more room for God.  Wish me luck.

“The time came for Mary to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first- born Son and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. These words touch our heart every time we hear them [because] in some way mankind is awaiting God, waiting for Him to draw near.

But when the moment comes there is no room for Him. Man is so preoccupied with himself, he has such urgent need of all the space and all the time for his own things, that nothing remains for others – for his neighbor, for the poor, for God. And the richer men become, the more they fill up all the space by themselves. And the less room there is for others.” – Pope Benedict XVI