The last two weeks have been fast and furious. Working, rushing home to get a project done and doing it all over again the next day.
Cleaning out things has been kind of liberating though. It feels good to get rid of the junk which has accumulated. It is amazing to me though,how much dust can accumulate in a short period of time.
Of course a couple of rooms were way behind on needing a cleaning. Seems when you have a career, there is just never enough time to stay on top of things at home. Especially if you do anything else like serve on a committee or attend church, etc.
They say time goes faster as you age and it certainly seems that way. And it wouldn’t matter if I had ten extra hours of daylight instead of the one from Daylight Savings Time, there still wouldn’t be enough.
Things are coming together though and I am marking things off my to do list daily. I don’t dread tackling things as much because what’s left is pretty easy.
Along the way I have not only learned a few things about myself, but have made a few observations about different things. I actually like to pressure wash things. It is a mindless task, where you can shut off your mind and just concentrate on what you are doing at the moment.
With that said however, it can be a never ending task as you get one place clean and notice that another area needs cleaning. I finally settled for what really needed pressure washing and said the rest could wait. Otherwise, I would spend the rest of my life pressure washing everything around the house.
It started out with just the white lattice around the deck, then I noticed some of the siding needed it and progressed from there. I went to pressure wash where the welcome mat is on the front pad where we park and ended up doing that whole pad which then led to the porch. While pressure washing the lattice around the deck, a portion of the deck looked cleaner and I thought I would do the deck but that would take me more time than I have before the wedding. I made myself say “no more pressure washing”. Besides, I had borrowed the pressure washer and wanted to return it before they started charging me rent on it.
I am a deadline oriented person. Guess it’s because of all the years being in the newspaper industry where there is always a deadline to meet. Give me a deadline and I am determined to meet it or die trying.
I also feel I have some form of attention deficit disorder. As I would start on one project before one was complete and keep jumping back and forth. Had to make myself focus on one at a time before moving on to the next. I’m used to multi-tasking but that doesn’t work when you have multiple projects in the works. It’s best to focus on one at a time.
A frustrating point for me has been that since I broke both of my wrists, I don’t have as much strength in my hands. I couldn’t take the lid off things, couldn’t lift something, etc. But my faithful and wonderful hubby was always willing to lend a hand. In pressure washing, I couldn’t use my left hand for more than a few seconds, so my right hand got a work out.
No matter the task though, I found even if I had to have a little help, I could get it done, even if I wasn’t sure at first. I’ve never been afraid to tackle any project, whether I knew how to do it or not. I inherited that from my dad.
I had been having a hard time sleeping lately, but after working 12-14 hours a day, I slept like a baby for a couple of nights. This week however, probably because the deadline to be done with all projects is fast approaching, I have found myself tossing and turning most of the night. This too shall pass though.
Once the wedding is over, I intend on taking a few days off for myself and my hubby. We certainly have deserved it.
Cleanliness is next to Godliness they say, though that quote is not in the Bible as some try to ascertain.
Dust settling in places a couple of days after you just dusted, reminds me that we need to check ourselves regularly for dustiness. It’s easy to let the dust of the world settle on you and get you to forget about what really matters. The world can drag you down and make you unclean if you don’t stay focused on God. If you let your home go too long without tidying up, it affects your mood and your spirit.
It is freeing to clean up and clean out the junk in your home. Same way with cleaning up our lives when we let go of the junk that drags us down and let God be in control. It’s hard to keep the junk from accumulating back once it’s gone and we have to do the same with the world’s junk. Don’t let the world steal your joy or drag you down. Be at peace, stay focused and stay the course. Ask God to help you with any junk that is dragging you down. He cares, He hears and He answers. Be blessed.©2016

VICTORIA SIMMONS is an author, columnist, motivational speaker, minister and publisher of The Georgia Post/Byron Buzz. Contact her at: vsimmons54@gmail.com