Saturday, June 8, 2013

Cleaning In the Moment

This morning I got a bit sidetracked by what I call "cleaning in the moment".  I can open a cupboard or drawer for months at a time, and simply ignore, or basically not see, the jumble, chaos, and proliferation of superfluous "stuff".  Then one day, it's so glaring that I simply must tackle it. 

That's what happened today, after I put the water on to heat for my morning tea.  The vitamin/medicine shelf in the kitchen beckoned loudly.  I grabbed a plastic bag (outlawed in Seattle, but I certainly still use them) and filled it with old meds, ancient half-used bottles, vitamins past their expiration dates, etc.  That felt so good, that I promptly (yes, the water is still heating) went upstairs and cleaned out a bin in the hall linen closet that contained old (and never to be used, but too good to throw out) lotions, creams, and extraneous make-up.  These are all unopened, so will be donated to the shelter.

Two bags later, and feeling more organized than I have in the three months of dealing with my broken leg, I'm just settling down with my tea.

"Cleaning in the moment" is spontaneous, cleansing, freeing, and really takes only a few minutes.  And because it is spontaneous, I don't put it off by over-thinking it, or trying to "find" just the right moment to start.  I just do it.  And I even found a couple of items that need to go to Lopez, that I didn't know that I had.  Lovely.

Yes, I'm feeling pretty satisfied, and I haven't even had breakfast yet.

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