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| No, that's not me or my house. |
Once
upon a long time ago, I did spring cleaning. I washed the windows and all the
curtains. I swept and cleaned like a good housewife, but not so much anymore. I
know I’ll try to get around to cleaning the windows inside and out, and I’ll
probably wash the curtains and rehang them – sooner or later, but probably
later.
In
the March issue of Readers Digest (a good bathroom read magazine) there was an
article by Andy Simmons titled “I’m a Slob, and You Should Be One Too” My eyes
immediately lit up when I saw that, and I went directly to that article. He wrote “I Never Make My Bed So I Can Thwart
Dust Mites.” Apparently, there are close to 1.5 million hungry dust mites
living off our dead skin and the moisture left on our sheets. After reading
that, I washed my sheets and blankets, but I still make my bed every day. I
figured those dust mites haven’t hurt me yet and probably won’t in the near
future.
And
then there was “I Skip Shampooing so I can Rock a Better Do” Mostly it had to
do with not shampooing every day because it takes away important oils. Since
every three days is okay, I read on because that’s what I do.
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| This is one of my two desks. The other one is worse. |
I
loved the next thing he wrote. “I Won’t
Clean My Desk So I Can Spark Creativity.” Hooray for that! Of course, I have a
little magnet on one of my desks that says “Einstein had a messy desk, too!” So
that’s one of the reasons I don’t worry too much about a messy desk except when
I can’t find something I want.
The
next thing he wrote is “I’m a Lazy Bum so I can Boost My Mood.” He mentions that
we all know the value of exercising, but for mental health doing nothing is
important. He quoted Oliver Burkeman who wrote in the Guardian “that ‘doing’ can be a kind of compulsion, an addiction we
only fail to acknowledge as such because society praises us for it. Indeed
learning how to do nothing might be the most vital skill for thriving in our
frenetic, overwhelmed, always connected culture.” Hmm. I hope he considers
reading quietly and listening to music doing nothing. Simmons went on to write
“The Mayo Clinic says relaxation techniques can lower blood pressure, reduce
muscle tension, improve concentration and mood, and increase blood flow to
major muscles.” Hmmm. Maybe I should quit working on this blog and settle down
with the newspaper and relax.
Now
this last one is kind of funny. “My Jeans Go Unwashed So I Can Make Them Last
Longer.”
In
a Fortune magazine conference on the
environment, Levi Strauss CEO Chip Bergh pointed to his pants and said, “These
jeans are maybe a year old and have yet to see a washing machine. I know that
sounds totally disgusting.” Obviously, Strauss isn’t wearing them outside to
weed gardens, walk in sometimes muddy woods, or cleaning pony stalls. He does
recommend cleaning jeans with a sponge or toothbrush and then air drying. I do
hang out my jeans in the warmer months instead of using a dryer.
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| There's actually a small spot at the end where I eat my meals. |
Right
now I can’t concentrate on spring cleaning. I’m trying to get my current book
reformatted to publish if and when my step-granddaughter comes through with a
cover. There are other things I want to get done before I head off for Malice,
too. Like write some blogs ahead before I leave. Probably, I’ll be working on
picking up all the branches the high winds have brought down in my yard, and
dead heading last year’s perennials, too. Although, the pictures I’m posting of
my library/office/dining room look like I’m a total slob, I do keep the rest of
my house reasonably clean. I sweep the floors at least once a week. I pick up
the chewed up rugs and toys Maggie drags around the house daily. I don’t dust
as often as I should, but at least my house won’t be condemned by the Health
Department, and it looks a thousand times better than the images I saw when I
Googled messy houses. For those of you, who don’t think your house would pass muster
if Mrs. Clean comes to visit, Google those messy houses.
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| I have a coffee mug with this picture on it. |
Do
you obsess on having a spotless house?
What
do you let slide in keeping a clean house?
