Clean

I have certainly learned the value of letting things go.  The wisdom of putting off housework to take some time for myself, or my family.  The importance of buying enough socks and underwear to get you through a week (or two) of not having time to do laundry.
But sometimes, when I'm feeling crabby, there's nothing for it but to clean something.
Dirty dishes disappear.  Clean laundry is hung in closets.  Various pieces of my family (earrings, shoes, important papers) are placed back in their respective bedrooms.
And my world starts to feel a little more under control.
The clean lines of a blank, empty countertop...the shine of a chrome faucet...refrigerator magnets lined up in a row...these things somehow pull smooth the edges of my crumpled soul and I breathe easily again.
I must have passed a little of this on to my children.  Because, while most of the time their rooms look like a department store exploded, every now and then they disappear in there...door shut...music loud...and re-emerge with a smile on their face and an armful of stuff for our perpetual "Goodwill Pile".
Fortunately, between the four of us, there is always someone feeling messy enough to keep OCD from completely taking over the family.  It keeps us balanced.
Unfortunately, cleanliness is fleeting.
It's time to start supper.
Which means pots and pans...crumbs on the floor...a spattered stovetop.
But for a little while today, my heart, my mind, AND my kitchen shined.