Cleaning My Home is An Act of Self-Care
Finding joy in the mundane
As an adult, I often poke fun at my mom for her cleanliness routine. She is the woman who when I go to visit her follows me around with a broom and a mop. Okay — maybe, not to that extreme, but it certainly feels like she spends all day long picking up anything she deems “messy” in her house. Many times I’ve set down a cup of water that I was drinking on the counter only to find it washed and already drying in the dishwasher five minutes later. It’s a habit she is very aware of and one that brings a smile to my face (unless I’m still thirsty).
In my own way, I have adopted her cleanliness routine. While I am currently sitting next to a pile of dirty sheets on the couch that need to be washed, my house is also freshly vacuumed and I’m waiting for the floors to dry from a thorough mopping. I never understood why someone would clean something that wasn’t technically dirty. But over the past couple years, I have found so much joy in the simple act of caring for my home.
My weeks are spent working a job outside of the house, shuttling my children from one activity to the other, visiting family, and a variety of other activities. It’s easy to let housework slip away when some days home is just a place to crash.
