I’ve had a bad week. Normally I’m loathe to admit this, but it is pertinent to this post. Today is, so far, a good day. I walked the dogs, ate breakfast, and began to clean. I like to clean. It is a zen-like activity for me, one of those empty tasks that allows the brain to unravel knotty problems or work through troubling emotions. I wanted to clean so that I could move back into my own bedroom. This month has been filled with family and friends who have stayed at the house. Because my dad is eighty-seven and my dad, I insisted that he take my bedroom this time. That is because I had a friend staying in his old room. I moved downstairs to the basement spare bedroom (which has its own bathroom and is quite cool and comfy) and stuck my brother Mike on a cot in my office. I would have put him downstairs in the cool and comfy room, but he has a bum hip, smokes a pack a day, and drinks endless cups of coffee. My office is next to the back door and the kitchen and it’s on the main floor, so no stairs. Anyway, it was chaotic. Now we’re back to me, my dad, Katie and Cris, her lovely boyfriend who is here four or five nights a week.
While growing up, my home was calm, clean and ordered. My mom wanted it that way. We often battled—I felt her standards were ridiculous. Saturday mornings were the worst. I couldn’t leave until my room was mom-clean. She checked under the bed, in the closet and inside my dresser. I had many diversionary tactics: the paper (I read it from cover to cover by age 11), American Bandstand followed by Soul Train (I’m a Soul Train girl 100%!), and watching golf or tennis with my dad ( a lifelong tradition, as it turns out). Nothing lasts forever. At some point I dragged myself to my room and turned on some music. Once I started, it wasn’t bad. I have a deep appreciation for the crisp, fresh smell and suppleness of clean towels and sheets. I love knowing where things are. When my cousin Ginger moved in with us, I was twelve. I remember how vehemently annoyed she was that everything had to be done just so. Over time, she became a much better and more cheerful cleaner than I, and I resented her for this. Now, of course, I love to kvetch with her over the things we suffered together (ask her about cross-country skiing).
I’m not quite sure when I realized I liked an ordered household, but I do. When Lyme drove me into my home for days on end, an almost maniacal need for cleanliness took hold. Katie would tell you I was OCD about this, and she may be right. Lyme settled in my brain and stirred up all kinds of synapses that should have been left alone. Those times could best be described as the hours after a major surgery, or the days after getting a major concussion, or that surreal state that a high fever causes. Looking back, I’m not sure how I endured those days. Maybe the fact that my brain was inflamed and not working right made time warp, so that days flew by without complaint.
Whenever I felt well enough, I cleaned and shopped for groceries before I did anything else. If you’ve ever been sick for a long time, you know it’s better to be sick in a clean house. Waking up to dirt and mess is disheartening when you’re well, devastating when you’re ill. If you felt bad already, seeing all that chaos simply drags you down further. But maybe that’s just me but I don’t think so. I think my need to clean, like my need for exercise and sleep, takes precedence in my life. I value it, so I make time to do it. Things I don’t value, like sitting in front of the TV or going out drinking, I don’t do.
This isn’t saintly, nor does it make me a better person (wait…I think it might! Doesn’t the Bible say cleanliness is next to Godliness, or was that Ben Franklin? Anyway, this atheist feels pretty fucking holy about cleaning) but it does make for a nice place to wake up to, no matter how shitty I feel. This past year, much to my chagrin, I also discovered I’m a bit of a bitch about control over my house and kitchen. I wanted a roommate. I asked an old, dear friend to come and try it out. It was apparent to me that I don’t like anyone else cleaning and straightening my home. I would not do well with a maid. Well, I might. Perhaps I’ll win the lottery and find out. I wasn’t pleased to uncover such an unflattering side to myself, and I can’t truly blame Lyme for it.
Don’t expect me to apologize for my cleaning problem. Keep asking me to come over and clean your house. So far, only a few friends have enjoyed this bonus (Alex and Vilja, I’m looking at you!). To my friends and guests: it’s nothing personal, I just do it all better than you. And I like it.
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