Cleaning is normally a boring blog topic. I mean, it’s cleaning! But for some people cleaning is more than just cleaning, and that includes me lately. For the past few years I’ve been working on improving my physical space. This is a two phase process. First, get rid of things that I don’t use or need anymore. Each time we move I get rid of things though I’m still not great at it. I don’t like throwing things away (unless trash) but I have found freecycling isn’t as easy when you live in a gated apartment complex. Basically, I just don’t get around to it. There are plenty of things currently in the apartment that I’m giving away and just haven’t gotten that far. But, overall it’s a process I’m doing better with. I’m also bringing less into the apartment, at least for me, which helps a lot as well. The second phase is keeping up with cleaning better. It isn’t that I don’t want the house clean, but I have had other things I prefer to do. Honestly, there was a part of me that expected Carrie to get better and be able to do the cleaning while I’m at work during the day. It wasn’t until this year that I realized that she wasn’t going to do any major chores while I was gone, so I had to be the one to do them. She’s just too sick. So I had to come up with strategies to get things done without wearing myself out.
I started by focusing on something easy, like the dishes. I’ve found by focusing every day or two on cleaning up the dishes I’m able to keep up and not spend hours on it by the end of the week. I was able to expand this to spending one day a weekend cleaning one room in more detail. I’ve started getting rid of recycling to make more room and make sure to catch up the laundry. Then, during the week I try to pick up enough that things don’t go all crazy. Simple, I know, but something I hadn’t been able to do consistently before. On the surface it’s funny that I’m keeping up with the housework better when things are more hectic and I have more demands on me, but I view it as a reflection of the inner work I’m doing. As I clean out old baggage and move through issues, I can more easily handle my external world.
If I didn’t have some other things to do tomorrow I could actually have the apartment clean enough that someone could stop by unexpectedly and it be fine. Or, more likely the management could give us 12 hours notice (because it’s never actually 24 hours) and not have to do any real cleaning. I think I’ll accomplish it next weekend actually. Then the challenge will be to maintain it. I guess as I continue to do the internal development it will be easier to maintain.
There’s an added benefit in that it’s more enjoyable to be home. It’s also easier for EMS to come pick up Carrie when things go badly if the house is clean. Her health is enough of a concern without adding cleanliness to the list. My hope for tomorrow is very simple. Carrie gets enough sleep to avoid the ER and I get just a few hours of cleaning in. Lunch is the leftover steelhead trout (my favorite) and supper will be veggie stir fry. The only other required agenda item is to practice the class I’m certifying in so I’m prepared for Monday morning. And if that doesn’t happen…I’ll settle with practicing my class at least in my head. Guess I should get some sleep now. That’s kinda required for everything I want to do. 
