Spring Summer Cleaning
I have in my mind the image of an art restorer working patiently to take off the top layer of paint—not to mention grime—that is obscuring the masterpiece underneath.
I have this image in mind because Zach and I have begun to do a similar thing, where the top layer of paint is all of our accumulated stuff (including grime) and the masterpiece (or work in progress) underneath is our life.
Yesterday, Zach went upstate and got rid of something like 10 contractor bags full of debris and other junk from the renovations, plus what seemed like a metric ton of cardboard—basically the packaging from every single assemble-it-yourself piece of furniture we bought from Ikea, including a kitchenful of cabinets, three beds, six nightstands, four dressers, two coffee tables, two side tables, a bookshelf, a dining-room table, ten chairs, and a bunch of stuff I am forgetting.
Today, I went through nearly every piece of clothing I own, skimming a respectable amount for the give-away pile and organizing the rest. Tomorrow we begin to tackle the papers that have colonized our living room. Soon after I will mow down my stacks of newspapers—and magazines.
Eventually we will get to the basement. That will require a lot of intestinal fortitude and possibly some Valium.
With the house upstate we strove for—and achieved, I think—visual calm. Even though we finished the place (well, mostly) just in time to turn it over to renters, seeing it in that nearly pristine condition for even a few minutes made me ache for the same kind of peaceful landscape here in our regular digs.
If life is going to continue to be turbulent, I hope at least our home can be tranquil.
We could use an oasis right about now.
I have this image in mind because Zach and I have begun to do a similar thing, where the top layer of paint is all of our accumulated stuff (including grime) and the masterpiece (or work in progress) underneath is our life.
Yesterday, Zach went upstate and got rid of something like 10 contractor bags full of debris and other junk from the renovations, plus what seemed like a metric ton of cardboard—basically the packaging from every single assemble-it-yourself piece of furniture we bought from Ikea, including a kitchenful of cabinets, three beds, six nightstands, four dressers, two coffee tables, two side tables, a bookshelf, a dining-room table, ten chairs, and a bunch of stuff I am forgetting.
Today, I went through nearly every piece of clothing I own, skimming a respectable amount for the give-away pile and organizing the rest. Tomorrow we begin to tackle the papers that have colonized our living room. Soon after I will mow down my stacks of newspapers—and magazines.
Eventually we will get to the basement. That will require a lot of intestinal fortitude and possibly some Valium.
With the house upstate we strove for—and achieved, I think—visual calm. Even though we finished the place (well, mostly) just in time to turn it over to renters, seeing it in that nearly pristine condition for even a few minutes made me ache for the same kind of peaceful landscape here in our regular digs.
If life is going to continue to be turbulent, I hope at least our home can be tranquil.
We could use an oasis right about now.
posted by Jody Rosen Knower at 8:38 PM
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