Spring Cleaning~~A Yearly Fresh Start

I like my house clean and try hard to accomplish that task everyday. A dirty home tells me a lot about those who live within it. I never want to live in a dirty house nor be judged on my housekeeping so every June I do do a complete cleaning, floor to ceiling.

When spring comes to North Carolina it is heralded in by pine pollen so thick that sometimes it resembles a sand storm. But after a winter of being couped up behind closed windows we all throw them open and let the fresh air blow through. Unfortunately the pollen comes in with the fresh air and covers everything requiring daily surface cleaning. Spring cleaning requires a hunt to be mounted to uncover those hidden deposits of pine pollen and eliminate them before the summer heat hits us and we again close up the windows in favor of the use of air conditioning.

The first question is 'Where to start?'

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” ~Mark Twain

I take Mr Twain's premise to heart and break everything down into tasks that can be completed in short time spans as my tolerance for long hours of cleaning has wained as I have aged. At age 100, as my SL partner is fond of telling people is my age, short work spans keep me interested.

When my daughter stopped by last week she found be washing ceilings. Yeppers kiddies you heard me correctly, washing ceilings. My daughter thinks me nuts and I am sure my shrink would call me compulsive but pine pollen sticks everywhere.

The key, for me anyway, is starting at the top and working my way down. Ceilings, then walls and finally floors. Spring cleaning is a week long activity that is usually rewarded with me stuffing as many baby back ribs into my system as I possibly can and washing it down with beer. Although in recent months, and especially since my illness, not much alcohol passes my lips so this year I will wash it all down with root beer, lol.

When you think about it Mr Twain's premise is a good one to apply to your everyday life. I believe that as much as a house needs spring cleaning our lives require a good spring cleaning to keep us on track. My brain does collect a lot of cobwebs and dust over a long winter.

I found these two quotes that apply to me and thought I would share the with you.

"The trouble with living alone is that it's always your turn to do the dishes." ~Author Unknown

I do a lot of dishes, ,lol.

"The best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes." ~Agatha Christie

So maybe doing a lot of dishes is not so bad after all.

Randy