Nudged: Sweep the cobwebs
There’s a huge cobweb hanging from the ceiling just over my desk. There’s another connecting the lampshade next to my bed to the curtain railing in the corner of our bedroom. I mean…ick. How did it get like this? Easy: a career, a household, a family and friends, lots of Life, and lots of distractions.
While this Nudge appears to be a simple and overdue household task, I’m hoping to make it more intentional. I’m not just going to get it done and check it off my to-do list, I’m going to set an intention, go room to room, look for places that need to be cleared, and simultaneously think about what else in my life might benefit from a spring clearing.
What Happened: We might have a winner for “Most Disgusting Nudge,” beating out that time I found long-expired “food” in my pantry. (“Nudged: Clean out the Pantry”) In my sweepings with my faithful mop, Trusty Dusty, I dislodged at least a decade’s worth of dust, some greasy residue (ugh), plus three dead spiders (ugggghhhh).
I included this Nudge on The List with an intention of being mindful, to not only clear what I saw every night as I tried to fall asleep (That spider is dead, right? Is it moving? Is it?! No. Whew.), but to perhaps discern what else needs to be “clear” in my life. I thought this might lead to my clearing space in my mind, my heart, and/or my calendar. Mostly what I did, however, was trigger something that wasn’t on my original list of senses to delight: gag reflex.
The Ah-Hahs: As I fought back the urge to barf, I found I was also totally beating myself up for being such a lousy housekeeper. This gunk did not appear overnight; it has accumulated in corners for years. Good grief, woman!
After the last room was swept, after I shook Trusty Dusty outside for the last time, I headed down to the basement to drop the mop head into the laundry baskey. The basement. Where dust and spiders and other horrors go to die.
Then I stopped myself. “Woman,” I said to my self, “you are not a 1950’s housewife. You are not a professional cleaner. You are a writer. A writer. This is not your job, this does not define you. Give yourself a break.”
Remember the ol’ Feminist promise (aka lie) that we can “have it all”? I’ve come to realize this requires my having to “DO it all.”
And today, I quit.
Ann Murphy
Why does this work almost always fall on women? I also “quit!” Thanks for the inspiring nudge.
“Then I stopped myself. “Woman,” I said to my self, “you are not a 1950’s housewife. You are not a professional cleaner. You are a writer. A writer. This is not your job, this does not define you. Give yourself a break.”
Remember the ol’ Feminist promise (aka lie) that we can “have it all”? I’ve come to realize this requires my having to “DO it all.”
And today, I quit.”
Nudged: Open all the windows – 52Nudges
[…] a break from the rain, I went room to room and opened every window with a screen (see spiders in “Sweep the cobwebs” Nudge). Each time I flung open a window, I took in several deep breaths. The air was cold, […]