Breaking Point

We all have one, don't we?  A breaking point?  Well, I've reached mine.  And it's time to do something about it.  I'm talking about -- cleaning the house.

Sure, we've all heard the cliches...Life is too short to spend time dusting...or...There will always be housework to do...or...Just don't answer the door when the Department of Health shows up.

But I'm one of those people for whom a cluttered house = a cluttered mind.  I really can't relax and give anything else my full attention if there is as much detritus on the carpet as there is in the yard.  I have a dog with velcro fur -- if she touches it outside, it's coming inside with her.  Pine needles, moss, those little fuzzy brown things that fall like rain from the pine trees.  I also have a cockatiel that produces so much feather dust I sometimes have to get the snow scraper out just to see the TV screen.  

I know it's time to clean when --

     The dust bunnies bear a strong resemblance to tumbleweeds.

     My daughter and I stop communicating via texting and start leaving messages in the dust.

     The slime on the shower floor actually oozes between my toes.

     Even the dog refuses to eat anything off the kitchen floor.

I've tried many house cleaning systems.  I've tried assigning a task to each weekday (Monday is dusting, Tuesday is vacuuming...) but that usually only lasts, oh, about a week.  I've tried blitzing once a week but that usually only lasts, oh, about a week.  I've tried seeing how much I can get done in an hour a day.  I've tried seeing how much I can get done in half an hour a day.  I've tried seeing how much I can get done in the length of time I can hold my breath.  I've tried cleaning when I'm having people over...so I just stopped having people over.  

I have nothing but admiration for clean freaks.  But I have to face it -- clean freak is just not in my genetic make-up.  I simply have to wait until my brain twists in a knot and refuses to let any thought processes through until I do it.  So I'm gonna clean my house.

Tomorrow.

On another note...I love finding a book I just can't put down.  Even if it means I don't do any writing for two whole days because I can't drag myself away from the book.  Just one more chapter...okay, just one more chapter.  If you like a book that you will gladly put your life on hold for, I highly recommend GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn.  The ending was sheer perfection.  And when I finished all I could think was...Damn, I wish I'D written that.