I’ve never considered myself a good housekeeper. Today I realized that I was wrong. I’m really good at cleaning house. I know how to do it. I just don’t spend enough time being a housekeeper. If I could spend hours each day cleaning my house, it would be spotless. And I would be completely bored. House cleaning is not interesting. In fact many of the tasks of my life are not individually interesting. Apparently I decided to add interest by packing as many as possible into each day. Sometimes I wish I wouldn’t do that to me.
That said, I’ve had a couple of really good days. I got lots of stuff done. My retreat worked perfectly. Now I just need to manage my resources properly and make sure I eat right and get enough sleep.
That’s a good insight. I worked as a maid/nanny/mother’s helper for a woman once, and I managed to work on cleaning her house 20+ hours a week without ever ‘over’ cleaning. You have to prioritize this sort of thing–and I think your priorities are in the right place.
Good Housekeeprs
Over the years I have noticed a couple of things.
Good housekeepers are good housekeepers. Often that’s all they are. Sometimes they are also good cooks.
Good housekeepers sometimes have a husband who insists on neatness and orderliness.
Creative people tend to let housekeeping chores slide (if they are not essential) in order to have time for creative pursuits.
People who get involved with people often accumulate clutter. ie. Bluebird, Girl Scouts, Cub Scout Leaders either have a high tolerance for clutter or feel that clutter removal is less important than helping others.
Eventually these creative and involved people get around to getting rid of clutter and cleaning. The house is clean, they feel good. Now they have time to do something creative and the cycle repeats itself.
If you wait until the house is clean and the laundry is caught up to do something creative, you never have time to do something creative.
Housekeeping, Personal relations and Creativity are all part of a juggling act. You have to find the right balance and know which balls must always be kept in the air and which ones you can drop temporarily if need be.
One of my favorite of the little cross-stitched quotes that my grandmother (and hero) has up in her house:
“Creative minds are rarely tidy.”
I think that says it all. 🙂