After a high-intensity spring filled to capacity with fundraisers,
conferences, and award ceremonies, June ended up consumed by personal
trips. We spent a long weekend in New York City. Sound Circle ventured
to the Western Slope to perform, and spent a few days recording in the Rangely Tank.
Then we joined a family reunion on the Beaches of 30A in Florida.
Needless to say, by the end of the month the yard was looking rather
unkempt and the house was much more cluttered than it's been in a while!
The
first Friday we were both home again, a cleaning frenzy unlike I
have ever experienced was sparked! After an hour-long search for
something I should have been able to immediately put my hands on, I was
frustrated at my lack of organization, disgusted by the clumps of
golden retriever hair that wafted around with everything I moved, and
amazed at how much stuff had collected on all of our horizontal surfaces.
Brian
had an emergency at the office and had to go in that Saturday. On top
of having to work all day, the poor guy had to be at his desk by 6am!
Trying to be supportive, I rolled out of bed when he got up to shower,
and made coffee. Initially I was thrilled at the prospect having the house to myself
to work some and relax, but as I was lounging in bed after he left,
my brain wouldn't stop thinking about all of the work that needed
to be done. I wanted to organize the storage closet in my office, and
sort through the piles of mail that had collected on the kitchen island
over the past month. There was lots of laundry to do, and all of our
packing and un-packing had created a pile of half-used toiletries on the
bathroom counter. It didn't take long for me to get out of bed and
make a tour of our main floor, mentally listing all of the areas that
desperately needed attention. A lot of attention!
I
wish I could re-create the angst that inspired such a burst of energy,
because I don't remember the last time I was so productive. I cleared
off every surface and loaded the dining room table with the piles that
needed to be sorted. I started the laundry, deep cleaned the
kitchen and all of the bathrooms, swept and vacuumed the whole house,
and refreshed all of the sheets and linens.
At
some point during the day, I realized that since the yard is usually
his domain, when Brian got home he'd feel obligated to mow the lawn and
fix up at least the front yard. But who wants to deal with that after a
full day of problem-solving? With Bosco's supervision, I trimmed a
bunch of low-hanging branches and cut back our aggressive bushes,
dead-headed the faded iris, and pulled all of the thistles and milkweed I
could get my hands on. The mower cooperated and I got the entire yard
cut, and scrubbed the sap off the deck furniture. Between the weeds, all
of the dead pine needles piled on the deck, and the shredded pine cone
bits our charming squirrels insist on dropping in the back yard, I
filled both of our trash bins with yard debris. By the time Brian got
home, I was giving Bosco a bath, in hopes of extending the pleasure of
the clean house and neat yard.
It
was a whirlwind of stuff. And dirt(really grimy dirt). And no writing
or goal-setting or daydreaming. And oh, was I sore for a couple of
days. But Sunday was pure bliss! Sleeping in, with fresh sheets and a
soft fluffy pup. Waking up to a clutter-free truly clean house with no
chores left to do. We both got to relax and enjoy our little sanctuary
for the rest of the weekend!
All
this week I've felt organized, more productive, and and more
motivated to keep things from collecting like that. Something I hope to
remember in the future every time I am inclined to put off something
menial - chores/responsibilities/work tasks only get bigger and more
complicated the longer you procrastinate them!
