When I was a kid, my mom insisted each spring, when the weather was finally nice enough to open the windows and doors and “air out the house,” that my sisters and I join her to clean out the cupboards and wipe them all down. “Spring Cleaning” involved working at least a couple of valuable Saturdays and Sundays. As a child it was torturous, but when it was all done, there was an immense feeling of satisfaction.
I guess I should consider muself lucky that the memories of the torture are not as strong as the memories of the satisfaction, because now, when spring comes, I feel compelled to deep clean something. Of course, it’s easier when you can schedule it on your terms instead of losing those precious weekend play-days.
This week I was at the store and picked up rolls of shelf liner. I’ve been meaning to line the cabinet shelves and drawers since we moved in three years ago, but something more fun always got in the way. Not this time!
I grabbed all the stuff I would need … the shelf liner, scissors, a straight edge, a box cutter for trimming, and a measuring tape … and I got to work.
It took about three hours to get most of the cabinet slide-out drawers lined. It included removing everything, spraying on cleaner and giving them all a good wipe down, and sizing (and trimming) the liners. I stepped back to admire my work.
Then that feeling of satisfaction hit me. A job well done. A task I’d overblown in my mind was accomplished. I checked the list in my head and briefly considered moving on to the next job … but the windows and doors were open. A light breeze was blowing across the patio. I headed outside to sip some lemonade and soak up some sun.
There’s a whole world out there just waiting to be explored. It’s a little easier to relax when you know you’ll return home to a shorter to-do list.
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