It happens each year. The Christmas tree comes down and I have this sudden urge to clean. I go through files, closets, boxes, baskets. I purge and shred and reorganize. I cause the trash man to think bad thoughts about me. I make the Goodwill guy smile. And I start the New Year feeling ready for a fresh start.
Now my son will tell you that I still “save way too much crap”, and he’s probably correct. However, I do get rid of some stuff. I do clean. I do reorganize. And many of you are doing the same thing this week. Why? Why do we feel this compulsion to throw out the old and clean the slate?
I can tell you that part of my motivation is that I only have this precious week before school starts and any notion of “deep cleaning” goes out the window. I’m not a great housekeeper, something that I’ve admitted before. Once I’m busy working again I will only attempt the basics of cleaning. I don’t have the time or temperament for my mother’s version of cleaning.
We all remember the days when our mothers devoted half their days to cleanliness. They moved furniture so they could vacuum under it, and polished everything until it sparkled! I’m lucky if I have time to remove a little of the dust. But this week I’ll make my mother proud! I’ll clean the top of my refrigerator and vacuum behind the sofa. I’ll reorganize the pantry and polish my dresser. I may even clean my kitchen window. LOL
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