My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.

 —Erma Bombeck

Do you think if I print out the poster below and tape it to my chest this weekend it will help as I fly through that long to-do list I mentioned last week?  The list on which the only thing crossed off at this point is getting the dog bathed (and I didn't even do that, my son took her to the groomer!).  Let's see....count my blessings.  That's easy--I am blessed to have a home.  Even if it is currently rather messy.  Practice kindness...okay, I won't yell at the people who actually MADE the mess in my home.  Let go of what I can't control...I assume this means I can't control the fact that some people in my home (who will remain nameless, but hey, my son doesn't read my blog anyway...) consistently forget to put trash in the trash can and dirty dishes in the sink?  Listen to my heart...be productive yet calm.  Ask any of my children...the calm part tends to go out the window when I'm at the last stage of preparing for a holiday and the arrival of relatives.  Just breathe.  Hmmm, the last time my daughter told me that, I think I forgot the part about practicing kindness.... 

I know, I know!  I had poetical visions this week of blogging about loftier thoughts...thankfulness, gratitude, the love I feel for my family and friends.  And I am thankful, and filled with gratitude and love, and I am really looking forward to everyone coming home for Thanksgiving.  Who blogs about dirty bathrooms and messy linen closets?  Dusty living rooms and cluttered guest bedrooms?  Well, I guess I do.  Because that's a part of my real life, just as much as the part of my life that is full of books, music, poetry and delight in the outdoors.  It's all about balance, right?  In the meantime, wish me luck with all my unfinished projects and home preparations, and here's a poem written by someone with whom I obviously see eye to eye!

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better

To paint a picture, or write a letter,

Bake a cake, or plant a seed;

Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time,

With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;

Music to hear, and books to read;

Friends to cherish, and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world's out there

With the sun in your eyers, and the wind in your hair;

A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,

This day will not come around again.



Housekeeping ain't no joke. —Louisa May Alcott