Yesterday I spent hours cleaning and then enjoyed some time listening to my favorite songs on Pandora. It was such a nice, relaxing treat and I sang and enjoyed my freshly mopped floors. A little while later James and the kids came home from surfing and James went to the backyard to rinse out his wetsuit. Our three dogs followed him outside and trekked back in with wet, dirty paws. THE HORROR! Now there were paw prints and footprints on the floor I had just mopped only an hour ago! I became instantly frustrated.
Why bother cleaning? Why do THEY not care that I just cleaned? This wasn't the first time after hours of work that I have asked the cleaning gods these questions. I really started to get myself worked up and had to give myself a "timeout". I retreated to my sparkling, clean bathroom and then thought: How long before the kids get the bathroom dirty? I was fueling the fire and becoming more and more resentful. And then this thought came to mind: If I was alone the house would stay clean.
If I was ALONE, my house would be clean. ALONE. Did I really want to be ALONE? Without any resistance or hesitation the answer was an overwhelming NO. I don’t want to be alone. I realized at that very moment that instead of being upset about the dirty floors I could shift my perspective and view the dirt on the floor with gratitude. Kids, dogs and an amazing husband make my floors dirty. I have these amazing people and fur babies in my house that make it so that I am not alone in this world at this moment in time. I am here with this crazy crew and they bring me infinite joy and love daily. I really should be feeling grateful that they are here with me right now LIVING!
After focusing on this mind shift for some time I then thought about all the people in this world that are all alone during this pandemic. All the people that have lost loved ones unexpectedly this year. The people that are feeling isolated in nursing homes or hospital beds away from their friends and family. Would they trade a clean house for laughter, love, and companionship?
Gratitude flooded my entire being until I was able to laugh at myself for being so irritated earlier and taking myself way too seriously. I decided to look at the the paw prints and footprints on my freshly mopped floor as a reminder that my life path is lined with love. I encourage you to take a few moments right now to reflect on the love that flows to you at this very moment from the people in your tribe. Silently thank them for the beautiful mess they create in your life.
