Monday, September 29, 2014

Housekeeping

Grant Park, Chicago


I'm back and have hit the ground running. This morning, Henry observed that I was a tad obsessive about cleaning the kitchen, Mom. He and I are up first every morning because he goes to school in the deep, dark Valley, and we need much preparation before our journey. I was spraying the microwave down and then the cupboard doors before moving on to using the stainless steel spray on the fridge door. Watch that pile! I might have cried out as Henry walked over to the counter to get a spoon for his gigantic bowl of cereal that fortifies him for the journey ahead. He was about to kick the stuff that I'd swept up, the detritus of a weekend without me. Jeez, Mom, he said between mouthfuls, as I wiped at the newspaper smudges all over the door molding. I'm not upset, I said. I'm cleaning for my own sake. Because that's how I like it.  My days of resentment have cleared away for the most part. It took many years to get that way, but I'm, if not proud then relieved, to feel diligent more than aggrieved, content by my actions more than enraged by the lack of theirs. At worst, I feel slightly superior. Henry downed a glass of milk and got up to go finish his toilette and pack his provisions for the journey. I wonder how long I could go without cleaning anything around me, he said. Maybe two weeks? Or three? He was, if nothing else, equally as self-satisfied as I.

8 comments:

  1. Yes, I think around age fifty these things finally start to become resolved. Sometimes I look around and think, "No one would notice at all if I just quit doing what I do," and instead of making me angry, I just shrug and know that I would notice and really, that is all that matters.

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  2. The wonderful Quentin Crisp apparently said once that the dust doesn't get any worse after three years.
    I have yet to find out whether that is true or not.

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  3. Sometimes I get mad and go on strike, waiting for recognition, I think, and nobody notices and nobody else does anything until finally I cave in and do it.

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  4. I find when I'm feeling edgy it is quite satisfying to clean counters and sort laundry. It somehow is repetitively calming. Weird...I know. The older I've got the more I like order. Egads....what would a shrink say?

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  5. Well, in a few short years when he's in college, I guess Henry will figure out just how long he could go without cleaning....

    I, too, love a clean kitchen, and actually prefer to clean it myself. It is a task that I can do while letting my mind wander and I can see tangible results when I'm done. Not many other things in my life have such immediate gratification.

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  6. I adore a clean kitchen and a made bed, and I do it for me. And I'm very appreciative!

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  7. Diligent vs. aggrieved, good job! I, too, love a very clean kitchen. I cannot cope when things aren't just so in that room. It's self-care, not OCD.

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