Joy In The Simple Things

One of the really great things about my life now is the joy that I can find in the simple things. A lot of that has to do with having time to do the simple things instead of pay someone else to do it.

Case in point. Cleaning.

I don’t remember exactly when I got my first cleaning lady, but it seems that throughout my corporate working life I paid one. The busier things got and the further up the ladder I went, the last thing I wanted to do with my Saturday was clean. Besides the fact is I never really was much of one for liking the idea of cleaning and getting my hands dirty. Not to mention the havoc it would wreck on my manicure.

So in addition to that weekly nail appointment, a cleaning lady was added to the ever growing list of my personal payroll.

But when last August rolled around and I received my pink folder the first thing that I cut was my cleaning lady. It no longer seemed a justifiable expense. I can’t say I was looking forward to running my own vacuum, and I was certainly not convinced I would do as good a job as her, but things were different now and I needed to pay more attention to money out.

I expected I would miss her. I expected I would dread cleaning. I expected I would every so often call and ask her to come in and clean the way it should be cleaned.

I never expected that I would do a better job than her. Never. And I never expected to find out that I would like to clean. That I would find joy in something as simple as cleaning.
Yes I said it. I like to clean.

I like the feeling of accomplishment it brings especially when I am having one of those days that writers have where there are no words for the page. If I wipe the streaks off the hall mirror, I am amazed at what else becomes clearer. Suddenly I am writing that sentence in my head I couldn’t get out before.

It happened again this morning. I wanted to blog, but the page was blank. No ideas. Nada. Until I started cleaning the kitchen.

I have learned a lot in these last months. I have found cleaning is a way to break writer’s block. I find I don’t need a weekly manicure. I have found I can cut expenses and not feel it. But mostly I have found the joy in the simple things, like cleaning.