Sweep sweep swoosh!

Sweeping sweeping swish.
Thoughts gather in little mounds.
I throw them like dust.

OK, maybe not the best Haiku ever, but I couldn't find one already written that would summarise this post, so I had a crack at one myself.

Previous to moving back into our newly reno'd house, I was always a vacuum, dustbuster and wet/dry vac kinda girl. Cleaning the floors was not a fun job, mainly because the kids hated it. Basically they hated the noise - Lee would start yelling at the top of his voice, Kate would cry, and I would grit my teeth and get through the task as quickly as possible.

Since moving back in, however, I've discovered the joys of sweeping and mopping - sounds weird and perverse huh? I know!!! Maybe it's partly because much of the floor is new, and just comes up looking so nice even after only a quick sweep, but I think it's more than that. For one, the kids don't mind - so no racing the clock trying to get as much cleaning done before it all becomes unbearable - I can take my time. But secondly, I am actually finding it calming and meditative. Often I find I start sweeping with a jumble of thoughts bouncing around in my mind, but gradually as I swish and swoosh the broom around, chasing the dust bunnies across the floor, I find my thoughts are just "sweeping, more dust over there, sweeping".... pretty basic stuff, and such a relief to the incessant noise and chatter that is usually going on in my head.

Don't get me wrong, I still have days when I stand back, admire my freshly mopped gleaming floors, and almost cry as I watch my kids smear avocado sandwich all over them and then push a Thomas train though the mess. This is often followed by a fierce desire to sink to my knees and bang my forehead against the floor. But hey, there's always something in life that can make you want to headbutt a floor right? So for now, I'm going to enjoy my simple pleasure - sweep sweep swish!