It dawned on me somewhere between FaceBook memories recalling holiday parties of the past and an afternoon meditation in which I lowered myself into the lotus position and noticed the layer of dust on the hardwood floor behind me: we hadn’t had a party in a year and a half, and as such I had not dusted or cleaned some parts of our home in all that time. The dusty matte finish of what had once shone glossy and glistening in the light of day, or the lamp rays of evening, had lent a dullness to the whole house.
It had happened so gradually, and our lives had carried on without any entertaining, that we hadn’t thought to stay on top of things like dusting or mopping. On this day I looked around and saw the dirt and grime of time. Starting with the highest shelving units, then dusting as I went down each step of the Korean tansu, I cleaned up all the months of dust in the living room and the family room and the bedroom. The elongated arm of a Swiffer grabbed cobwebs in corners, along curtain rods, surrounding light fixtures, pulling them down and removing those filaments that drew the peripheral gaze, even when you weren’t quite sure what you were seeing. It was the removal of distraction – the clearing of haze.
On the hardwood floors I used the special cleaning concoction I’d formulated from years of scrubbing the Boston hardwoods after parties – a few splashes of Pine Sol, a few spritzes of Pledge or Endust, and a couple cups of warm water. (It’s just so much nicer when the water is warm.) On hands and knees, I wiped up the layers of dust and dirt that had been accumulating all these months. Instantly, the rooms lightened, the way a street does when the film crew wets it down before filming.
We don’t realize the power of reflection.
It was a simple act of cleaning, forgotten in our isolated way of life, and immediately it lifted my spirits. Typical for a Virgo who enjoys a clean slate. It also restored a bit of luster to the holiday season, when the sparkle has been slightly lacking of late. In the bathroom, I put together a little bouquet and lit a new candle.
Let there be holiday light.
