Sometimes You Need a Reason

Back in the day, I didn't care too much if my floors were clear enough to crawl around on or sparkling clean enough eat off of. For what it's worth, Doodle never complained. Having clean floors just wasn't that important to me. To psychoanalyze, we could even suggest I didn't think I was important enough for clean floors. Who knows. Besides, isn't every floor clear enough to crawl around on after a couple martinis? Bonus if you broke your fall in a pile of fries: breakfast is served!  The Hoff knows what I'm talking about.

But sometimes you need a reason--a reason bigger than yourself--to make a change in your life. Sure, deep down you really have to want it for yourself in order for the change to stick, but to get started and see a difference, doing it for someone else can be the kick in the pants you need.

My reason for wanting floors clean enough to crawl on and clean enough to eat off of? This guy, pictured this morning:

Because despite what I think I deserve, he deserves no less. When John was born, clean became  priority. Then came the eventual "shoes off policy" we adapted when he started to crawl. We started  "shoes off" for his benefit, but ended up keeping it for everyone based on nothing other than logic: In NYC, our feet is our transportation, our sidewalks are our highways, and dog poop is our road kill. If you drove over a skunk, why would you then park your car in your living room?

It's been a clean space for a long time, but it wasn't always a clear space. I didn't see the importance of that until later when John was learning to walk. Once when he was toddling around, I never noticed the bag of crap I had put there for no other reason than I didn't have a place for it. The big bag of crap had probably been there for days, weeks or even a month before I noticed it at all, let alone that it was in the way, everyone's way, until I was taking pictures. Pictures of my beloved son, learning to walk, with this huge bag of crap in his path.

Yep, a big bag of crap, not important enough to have a place or purpose in my life, but somehow too imporant to discard. I moved the crap out of the way because it was ruining the shot. After I took the picture, I put it back.

What?
Staging pictures in my own house? I care less that the bag of crap is impeding my child than the fact that the bag of crap is impeding the picture? What's wrong with that picture? Time with my family is more important to me than my stuff, and this stuff is costing me time? I toss the bag of crap in the middle of this floor only to find that I miss it, can't I always buy another one? I can't buy more time.

Bye, bag of crap.

Spaces clear of things are more open, brighter and easier to clean. Less time cleaning means more time playing!

What's your reason?

Now, can I interest anyone in a fresh floor Cheerio? Floor grape?


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