Clean Enough to be Healthy ...

I have a confession to make.

I probably don’t clean my house as often as some people think I ought to – either for my own peace of mind or to suit anyone else’s taste. But when I do, I am ruthless.

When I decide to get started, it is usually right after the garbage men have come past for the week. Seeing those empty trash cans gives me the urge to fill them up.

Where do all these pieces of paper and bits of stuff come from? This I wonder over and over as I toss them blithely into the bags, boxes, and baskets that I gather for the purpose. And why did I think, several weeks ago, that this item was worth keeping around the house for more than fifteen minutes in the first place?  


And yet, there they are. The paper chase is a serious problem at our house. We always seem to be in various stages of paperwork, bill paying, letter writing, homework, volunteer work, paid work, and so on. There are constantly piles of paper on any flat surface. And some that are not so flat.


It’s those not-so-flat surfaces that cause me trouble. Suddenly a three ring binder becomes a “surface” and equally as sudden the pile atop the binder slides onto the floor in complete disarray.

                
Each time I pick up or eliminate a pile, I vow to myself that I will not let this happen again. But two days later, there is another one. I truly believe they breed in the night.

                
I will swear that just yesterday I condensed three large piles into one small pile. And I come downstairs in the morning and the three piles have returned. What am I to think? Is it gremlins, or are they really multiplying in the dark?

               
I have a friend whose email signature line is a quote by A.A. Milne: “One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries.”

              
I only wish that I had discovered the quote first. Because I do make a lot of exciting discoveries while trying to organize my scattered life.

               
I find money in the pocket of a jacket I haven’t worn in weeks – or months. I find an interesting topic in a news clipping that I can use for a future blog or column. I find birthday cards from two months ago, in a pile…and they bring me another smile the second time around.

                
So, while it can be embarrassing to admit to not keeping a perfectly orderly home, it has its moments of pleasure. And, while no one would ever mistake our house for anything out of Better Homes and Gardens, it looks fairly presentable much of the time. One thing about piles, they are easily stashed out of sight (and--oops--out of mind).

               
I have been to people’s homes where everything looked just like one of those model houses that you can go and look at in new subdivisions. You’ve seen it: a couple of pennants on the wall of the boy’s room. A teddy bear and a perfectly dressed rag doll are on the girl’s bed. A shelf with five books is artfully arranged in the master bedroom, and a tasteful spray of flowers sets on the dining room table. Shoes are tucked away neatly in a closet or arranged neatly under a bed. It looks lovely. But not inviting.

                
I wonder what those people read; what they do with their spare time. People can read my house like a book. It is always fairly obvious to the casual observer that I’m in the middle of several projects, a few magazines and at least two good books at the same time. You can tell by the inordinate number of shoes strewn about on the front porch that there are a lot of people here--either living or hanging out ... or some of the shoes are just left here by someone who was passing through.

               
And despite my best efforts to tame the shoes, they end up multiplying on my porch, just like the piles on my desk.

               
I just try to live by another motto I found in a pile somewhere. “My house is clean enough to be healthy and messy enough to be happy.”

                
So I give up. The piles, the shoes, and the kids – they’ve won out. For now.


Next time, though, I may have no mercy. Stay tuned.