haven

a couple of nights ago i presented my laundry room to haley much the same way a chef might lift the silver dome off of a marvelous culinary creation. was it repainted? reorganized? sparkling clean? no. but the floor was entirely visible. the room serves as a pass through to the garage, two doors open into it, and for months - literally since my car was flooded - there's been an enormous bag of found treasure from the car laying in the floor. i do mean enormous. stepping over it was a challenge. opening the door into the garage was even harder. and yet, it's been there since oh.. october maybe?

haley said, 'your cleaning style is in-teresting...either we'll be a disaster together or great.'

i do tend to focus my cleaning energy on a small part of the whole and once that chosen bit is satisfactory, everything else is forgotten.

and so goes the de-christmassing. i have officially de-christmassed the upstairs now. the tree is out of my room. the wrapping paper stowed. needles vacuumed up. and just this morning, i vacuumed myself downstairs. (no small task with a kirby. that thing weighs at least 50 pounds. no joke.)

now the mess is confined to the lower level and in theory closer to the door. in theory. (this theory has failed me in the garage, but hope springs eternal.)

what it does give me though is a haven. a haven in my bedroom. a space where everything is put right in place and i'm surrounded by my favorite things. i lined up my shoes tonight and i gave my sock monkey a new pose. i moved the picture by my bed a little closer and put on my fuzzy robe. then i closed my double doors, piled my pillows up and climbed on my bed, mega in place under my arm. though i still wish the walls were painted, i do love my room.

tonight i crave a haven. a safe place. filled with love and understanding.
free of mess.
and here i am.

d: haley here to share it with me.
b: the house is over 50% clean.
g: a life that creates messes.