P left for Houma, LA early this morning and we have no idea how long that job will last. He might be home for Christmas, or he might not... who knows? Although I am mentally prepared for the bitterness of having him gone most of December, I also need a way to cope.
The year I lived with Loni she quickly figured out that I often cleaned when I was upset, and she would kindly ask me if there was anything she could do. It was not until then that I realized cleaning was my coping mechanism.
Naturally, 20 minutes after the rumbling of P's truck had dissipated, my entire apartment was vacuumed.
[Actually, let me make a tangent to exclaim just how AMAZING my new Dyson vacuum is. I ordered the cheapest one Best Buy had and I couldn't be any happier. It's a tiny, battery powered, lightweight thing with the craziest suction power. Upon using it for the first time, I was both appalled and astounded at how much dog hair was sticking to 10 square feet of carpet. I had to stop there because 1) it was already full of too much dog hair and 2) P was watching TV and refused to be interrupted to jump up and down with excitement about a vacuum. Dyson DC44 Rating: Awesome]
So back to my point, I super-vacuumed everything as soon as P drove off. And then proceeded to clean the kitchen, fold laundry, wipe down surfaces, put P's leftover tools away, and find other reasons to use my Dyson, such as sucking dust out of the AC vents. Worked like a charm.
My second coping mechanism: blogging. Here are my reasons as to why keeping a clean house makes me feel better about everything.
- It is pleasing to sit in a clean, orderly room.
- Cleanliness attracts cleanliness and vice versa. If the place is a mess... I'll make more mess. If it's clean, then I'll want to keep it clean.
- Things don't get lost. I have a big rule about having a "home" for everything in the house, plus having one junk drawer per room. It totally works.
- Blank slates spawn creativity. For example, when all the dishes are clean and put away, and the fridge is nice and organized I feel like cooking. When my desk is clear of clutter I feel like writing or doing homework. When my clothes are all washed and put away I feel like trying harder than a "jeans and a t-shirt" look.
- It reduces my stress level. I've noticed that when I tidy up one room then I want to spend more time in that room and avoid the messy places of the house. That's because I feel more relaxed when I am in a clean environment.
Alright, so there. With P gone my apartment is so clean and quiet that even Venom is lounging about instead of hyperactively chewing on toys. Now that this blog post is done and there is nothing else for me to clean, I must finally get to working on my awfully long take-home final exams. Ugh.
