I clean when I get frustrated and my life feels out of my control. It’s a coping mechanism with benefits. However, this spring I have a different purpose to my cleaning. My goal is to adapt my home to my ever-changing life. Life seems to have moved on, but the things in my house seem to linger. I have lived in the same house for 30 years, it’s time to let go of part of my past. I no longer need business suits that don’t fit. I no longer need a home office that I don’t use. I can toss out the projects I started, lost interest and have been left half done. I even want to tackle the tangle of cable wires that line my basement ceiling, most, if not all, are not in use.
I want to reclaim parts of my home for another purpose. The most pressing project, is a place for my grandchildren when they visit. My grandson will be visiting in May from Arizona. He was here when he was very little and couldn’t move. However, he is now 2, very curious and very mobile. He is also stealthy and has no fear. I am creating a grandchild room; something to share and explore with him. So now the office stuff goes, I reduce the number of books and the bed moves to the floor. Over the bed I am creating a tent and making room to play.
Next, I am adapting my garden. In Arizona his backyard is fake grass and there are dangers such as scorpions and poisonous snakes. Very different from real grass, perennial gardens with birdbaths. I think my patience and resilience will be tested, but I look forward to the adventure. Spring cleaning sounds like fun this year.
Mary Guldan-Lindstrom, CPA
