Clean Slate

On the Jukebox: "Housework" by the B52's

Quote: "Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?" ~ L. M. Montgomery

Flair: Right at home

It's a new year and that means a fresh start for everyone. It would be nice if we could start clean in every way. Unfortunately, many of us had company over the Christmas holidays and some hosted New Year's Eve parties so there are a few leftover messes to be dealt with. Such is life! Some of us are the hot messes that need tidying.

I'm getting a fresh start this year in a big way. I'm getting to see things in a new way thanks to my little girl. Everything is new and exciting to her and watching her learn allows me to experience things I've taken for granted with renewed enthusiasm and appreciation. My daughter recently invented gravity and enjoys demonstrating its awesome power for me by tossing items from her lunch tray onto my freshly mopped floors. I'm learning to appreciate that she wants me to have job security and therefore does her part to make sure I will never be unemployed in a perfectly clean kitchen.

Of course there are days when she takes a spill as she toddles over the uneven tiles.She gets upset and babbles in some fascinating language that I never learned but I'm fairly certain from her intonation that she's quoting Homer Simpson, "Oh come on gravity. You used to be cool!" She then collapses into a tear soaked, runny nosed, claggy mess that I have to clean up.

Have you ever wondered how we learned that egg protein was good for conditioning our hair or avocado makes a good facial mask? I'm positive a mother invented those homemade beauty aids after cleaning up after her little mess maker. I'm doing my best to be cheerful about the variety of messes I am called upon to tidy but think it unfair that even the areas of my home that I previously cleaned and haven't used since have the audacity to get dirty when no one is in them. Therefore I decree that dust is a country accent and cat fur is just taking the animal print theme to the next level.

In lieu of a spic and span home I'm starting fresh with a better attitude. Over the past few years I've allowed cynicism and complaints to taint my life much like a buildup of soap scum in the bathtub. I'm making a conscious effort to choose gratitude, patience, and mercy instead of anger and critical thoughts. I know that this will take a lot of mental elbow grease so I'll be putting off scrubbing and resealing the grout for a few months. It'll be fine. They call it spring cleaning for a reason!