Mrs. Clean
Dear Maribeth,
I have been spring and fall cleaning since I first got married. Assuming I am not yet at the end of my life, will the day come when I’ll be sorry that I did it? I think about that poem that talks about how cleaning the house isn’t important because the dirt will keep but your babies grow up. Now when I spring clean I wonder why I’m doing it. My friends and family think it’s quaint. Other people say I make them feel dirty. The biggest benefit to me is that I don’t have to do the weekly cleaning once I get it done.
I do it one room at a time starting as far away from the kitchen as possible. Everything that needs to be washed and scrubbed has to come into the kitchen so I do that room last. It’s organized around what day it is and how much time I have. If I’m not doing laundry, baking, grocery shopping or going out then I’ll do one of the larger rooms. I used to do all the drawers and all the cupboards every time. Now I do the grocery cupboards in the fall and the others in the spring. The silverware drawers I do both times because they get full of crumbs. I have 2 ovens so I do the big oven in the fall and the smaller one in the spring.
Will I ever regret spending my time this way?
Busy Mom in Cranston
Dear Busy Mom,
I can smell the Pledge from here. You sound like a very faithful, organized and consistent person. I’m curious to see what the cards say about your question.
Your cards are all major arcana cards – The Hanged Man, The Star and The Tower. These are all very powerful cards and show the energy shift that occurs during your cleaning routines.
The Hanged Man shows what a zen activity cleaning can be. He reminds us of the importance of inner peace, and of course, his vantage point gives him a new perspective on things. Looking underneath the furniture and eliminating those dust bunnies provides a certain feeling of satisfaction. Sweeping things under the rug is not your style, because you know it’s there even if you don’t see it. This can be noticed in your emotional life too.
The naked figure in the Star is expressing her true nature. Our environments reflect our inner psychological health. People who have messy offices or rooms often have chaotic thought processes. Keeping your home in order probably brings you great peace of mind and clear communication skills. If you are not comfortable in a house that is not clean, than you are absolutely not wasting your time cleaning it. Unkempt spaces create stress.
The Tower card comes up when there is a major shake up in your world. In this case, it can be when you move the furniture in order to clean under and behind it. Undoing and redoing your decorative process provides a sense of control that you are on top of things. You create chaos and then you organize it.
Looking at your cards, it seems that as long as you are getting a feeling of satisfaction from this effort, it is well worth your time. There is a special comfort in routine and this has become a part of who you are. I believe you will be sad and miss it when the day comes that you are no longer able to do it. There are many poems that promote the important attitude of: Do it while you can!