Thoughts On Cleaning

I'm not sure who thought up "spring cleaning". How is it considered a given that "spring" and "cleaning" go together? Spring signals to me running outside, more sunlight, taking walks, wearing lighter coats and playing frisbee. All of those things usually provide me with LESS time for cleaning.

More appropos for me would be "guest cleaning". I'm much more likely to tidy up for guests rather than spring. I just don't care what the heck spring thinks of my home. But my friends -- I like to make them feel comfortable. I also don't like to be dubbed "the total slob who lives in a den of filth." Don't get me wrong. I do clean for my own joy and benefit -- and to keep away icky things like vermin and ants. But, hands down, my best cleaning spells are in the wake of hosting.

So,the Book Club, comprised of various friends, is coming to my house this evening. Thus, yesterday was a cleaning extravaganza. Boy was THAT an eye opener. Truly. I wondered if my blinds had been dusted EVER. It took some time, but they made an amazing transformation from dark brown to actual white (who knew?) last night.

The most hilarious moment in the evening came when I gave the living room a thorough visual inspection to assess where I should start. I was alarmed to find the nativity set was still up. Oh, and look! A festive poinsetta atop one of the speakers on the other side of the room. And the minorah in the window. So, being the wise and savvy task manager that I am, I decided a good place to start would be to put away the Christmas decorations. Naturally.

It's the end of MAY! Wow! I could blame my distraction on my busy schedule. I have one of those. But I won't, because we all know --- I can be THAT oblivious. I had an old roommate who used to get bugged that I would forget to shut cupboard doors in the kitchen after I opened them (among other things that I do which bugged her -- and may still bug her and other people, I'm sure). I warned my new roommate, before she moved in, of this quirk and also added that this would be one of many. I believe in open disclosure.

Somehow I didn't get the female gene that mandates I think lots of things are "icky", scream at spiders and must meticulously clean my bathroom on a weekly basis. This is partially because I just don't notice half the stuff(note the Christmas decor experience listed above).

And I'm just not a squeamish, "that's gross" kind of girl. I find dramatic reactions tiring and silly. Not because all people who squeal at a spider are silly. No, indeed. But because I am silly when I do it because I have no natural inclination to do so. It'd be pure theatrics. Honest. I've tried it. I just felt silly. Instinctively, when I encounter a crawling thing, I just debate on whether to kill it or let it live as long as it doesn't crawl on ME. After all, what did the spider ever do to me? But if it DOES crawl on me,-- well that is an offense, justifiably punishable by death to the spider. So, is it worth the risk to let one of God's creatures live? Dilemmas.....

Another element is that I didn't observe peculiar activities like that thing called "dusting" unless I was at a friend's house -- my mother just wasn't a neat freak. At all. She still isn't. I can recall one occasion, just before my parents were leaving for their mission this past fall, in fact. We were having company over and I was "guest cleaning" the house completely, as my mother had broken her ankles and wasn't really able to help. I asked her about a couple of things she might like me to do to make the house look really nice. Her response was, "No, that's alright. It's ok if the house looks like we live here."

I love that about my mom. We didn't grow up in a meticulously clean home, but it was relatively orderly, very open to people (who seemed to like to be there) and, reflectively, I appreciate that I got to spend time with my mother rather than watch her clean a lot.

I am also grateful she made us clean on occasion, taught us HOW to clean (though I have had to learn a couple things since having left the nest.... like dusting), and that I can make a bathroom sparkle when given the right motivation. But I just don't care to do it all the time. Unless of course, you're coming over. In which case, maybe you could give me a day's notice? I might suddenly feel inspired to do a few things...