No Surprise
machine whirred
I pushed
and Hoover shot water into the carpet
I pulled
and Hoover sucked water (plus) into its holding compartment
Is it dirty?
I anticipated the moment where I’d dump the hold into laundry room sink
of course it was dirty!
ummm…dust, muddy paws, dirty shoes, puppy days, crumbs…
several minutes later
the back door opened and closed
Was it dirty?
Yes! I just poured sludge down the drain.
Is it interesting that 99.999% of the time we could care less how much dirt is in the carpet, but when I pull out the steam vacuum, suddenly we care?
Where attention goes, energy flows. ~unknown
Over the weekend, we rearranged the family room to accommodate our new television.
About 15 years ago, we removed the TV tucked into the custom cabinet space because…I did not like the dust, crumbs, and dog hair that was accumulating in our minds. For goodness sakes, the nightly news was serving a side dish of ED commercials at dinner time.
For 15 years I basked in the silence—cleaning the carpet in my head.
So far…operation television re-introduction is a success.
First, the shag carpet is clean(er) than it was.
Second, our new furniture layout feels cozy.
Third, the television is only on for sports/movies.
Fourth, the kid seems to be spending more time downstairs.
Fifth, and most importantly, I feel good about the change. :)
Everything can be this, everything can be that. ~Chang Tsu
In yoga, there is an observation—sauca, or purity.
In Meditations from the Mat, Rolf Gates writes:
Begin with your physical cleanliness, your grooming habits, the cleanliness of your clothes, and then work outward. How are your surroundings affecting you? Make your bed, clean the bathtub, and wash the dishes—then ask yourself the question again: How are my thoughts creating my emotional reality? Think of five things to be grateful for in this day, and then ask yourself the question again. Over time as you apply the concept of sauca to your life, you will find that a peace settles over you.
Oh dear, Gail. Shag carpet? I had shag in the first home I bought (small townhouse condo on an ensign’s salary) and the first apartment I rented after my friendly divorce in 1991. I realized the horror of shag after I was vacuuming, had to stop halfway through, and could not determine the next day which parts got vacuumed. I replaced most of it in my townhouse as soon as I could afford to — it was a 60s blend of colors even I found awful. I never even attempted to clean the rented shag; I offered to when I moved out, in case my security deposit depended on it, but was told not to worry, it was all going to be ripped up before the next tenant (and they could not have done this before I moved in because why?). I am not a shag fan, as you might guess. OTOH, a steam cleaner would have been very useful, if I had thought of it.
How cool! Henny's a retriever...of fish? Or did it come from a secluded corner of the room?
As a kid, after getting a microscope, I had to obtain samples of just about anything that could go under the 'scope. Pond scum samples were cool and wiggly. The sludge from the Hoover? One can only be so brave! You see how I become bogged down in the minutia. The macro level notions of sauca, that making my bed and starting a load of laundry, will lead to improvements in my day - my life - are a bit more resistant to my embrace! "Everything can be this; everything can be that." At a pedestrian level, I can read that as, "Why make the bed!?" But do I have to take the Hoover to our carpet to get the higher meaning? Thanks for the Monday marching orders!