I was going to make candy today. I like making candy. It’s just intricate enough to be interesting, just delicious enough to be worth all the effort, and just easy enough to be relaxing.
But my kitchen was a mess. And it’s the holidays, which means more crazy people, which means my husband who works in the adult behavioral health unit of the local hospital got called for a double. He usually cleans the kitchen because I hate dishes. I’ve hated them all my life. Ask my mom. It’s true.
Anyway, the moral of the story is that I couldn’t make a mess because the kitchen was already a mess. And I decided that my poor husband needed a break.
So I loaded the dishwasher and started it.
But there were still dishes left on the counter. So I washed some of them and put them in the drying rack.
But there were still dishes left over.
So while I was waiting for them to dry a bit, I organized the tupperware cupboard. And recycled the 30 yogurt containers that were washed and put away for the theoretical day when we would have 30 20oz portions of leftovers. And I found all the lids. And some things that didn’t go in that cupboard at all, and should have been in the top drawer.
But the top drawer was messy. So I took everything out of it, wiped it down, faced the silverware, put all the wine bottle stoppers and corkscrews in one area, paired all the chopsticks, and found stuff that went in the second drawer.
You probably see where this is going.
Four hours later, all the dishes in the entire house are clean, the tupperware cupboard is organized, the cooking pot cupboard is organized, all of the kitchen drawers have been sorted through and organized, the trash and recycling have been taken out, and I started hot water for some chamomile tea post the hubby’s 16 hour shift (who, by the way, got punched in the face by a patient last night. Crazy wards. I couldn’t do his job ever.).
I had also laid out his sleeping hat, made the bed, and started a load of laundry.
Of course, now that it’s all the way to almost 8 oclock at night, I’m exhausted. No candy was made all day. I feel terrible from being up and down and on my feet all day, and I think my hips popped out again. Stupid relaxin hormone, making all my bones go sideways. Roland is protesting too, by repeatedly kicking me in the ribs. We’re going to go take a rose water bath in a bit. Roses are astringent and a blood vessel strengthener, and I can feel another growth spurt coming on. Gotta keep that skin healthy!
And the rest of me healthy, too. So, I will do my best to adhere to the expert’s rules and only nest in 20 mins on, 10 minutes resting for the duration of these strange urges to clean ALL THE THINGS.
Cleaning marathons happen. They aren’t ideal, but they happen. Just do your best to take breaks and rest up a little more frequently. Frenetic bursts of cleaning energy are exhausting and take their toll on your body.
