LESSONS LEARNED WHILE DEJUNKING

A few things I am learning during the 30 Days of Dominion Challenge:

Clutter is nasty.  It is not just junky or messy looking - it is filthy. When I tackled the sewing area last week, I found myself having to take frequent breaks to go WASH MY HANDS. You know how your fingers get all black if you handle a lot of newsprint? Yeah, that's how my hands would look after about thirty minutes of sorting and tossing out and putting away. If you have ever said - like I have - "My house may not be very neat, but at least it's clean!" - ummm, nope. I am testifying today:  that is a lie. It is amazing how much gross nastiness settles down onto and between and beneath the clutter. I am sure there are some spiritual lessons to be learned here...

This Dominion Challenge is not getting easier as the days go by. I kind of thought that as I cleaned out one closet, one cabinet, a pantry shelf...as I checked things off, I would see my To-Clean-Next list growing shorter and easier. Ummm, nope. What I find instead is that many of the "easier" tasks have been checked off, and I am faced with increasingly difficult, time-consuming cleaning projects. Sure, the cabinet under the kitchen sink looks great now, but the ominous reality is growing on me that sooner or later, I am going to have to face My Bedroom Closet. And The Bookshelves. And The Laundry Room. Instead of getting easier, this seems to be getting bigger and harder! I am sure there are some spiritual lessons to be learned here...

Life doesn't stop simply because I decided to address the health hazard in my bedroom closet. It's Monday morning, and I need to catch up on laundry from the weekend. Helen has finished working on Chemistry and is ready for me to go over a math lesson with her. A couple of writing assignments need my attention, and I have several emails to answer. Those tasks can't be ignored just because I think it's inconvenient to take off the hazmat suit every time my cleaning project is interrupted for the routine business of life. I am sure there are some spiritual lessons to be learned here...

I am not going to win any awards for having the cleanest house. This past weekend, I joked to the kids that if someone walked through the front door, they would have absolutely NO idea that I had been doing so much cleaning! There are boxes stacked by the front door, filled with things that need to go to new homes. As usual, the kitchen table is strewn with school books and craft projects. Muddy boots and shoes are piled along one wall. I need to dust the ceiling fan and take out the kitchen trash. In spite of the fact that I can now find scissors and thread and my oven is clean, to the casual observer - the person who doesn't know me or what's going on in my life - to that person, my house looks like a disaster. I am sure there are some spiritual lessons to be learned here...

Family and friends have not reacted to this 30 Day Challenge in ways I could have anticipated. Rather than saying "Finally! Hallelujah!" or offering words of encouragement, some folks seem to think my new resolve is a storm to be weathered, one that will hopefully blow over quickly. Others have surprised me by how incredibly supportive and encouraging they have been:  I feel like I have a squad of cheerleaders helping me to press on, even when I want to forget the whole undertaking! But if I had been asked to guess ahead of time who would be a naysayer and who would be a cheerleader, I would have called it all wrong. I am sure there are some spiritual lessons to be learned here...

I had better sign off now:  I need to go hang a load of towels on the clothesline, and Helen is waiting for me to go over that math lesson. But before I go, because the sun is shining and because it is supposed to warm up to 70 DEGREES!!! today...

A poem.

Springsong

A seed on the windowsill...

Hard
Dry
Dead.

But, no!

Waiting for sunshine,
Hungry for soil,
Thirsty for rain...

Aching for spring.

(Have a wonderful Monday, Friend!)