cleaning and illness and art and the beach

hello...

I’m sitting here in my blue room

with classical music playing on low

and an open window

so I can hear the pitter patter

of rain on the pavement.

The lilacs outside are in bloom

and now and then,

I catch a whiff of sweetness.

I had every intention

of starting my day today

with yoga, and then painting.

I got up earlier than usual for some reason,

and decided I needed coffee

more than yoga,

so I made some coffee,

fed Fluffy (see below) 

and read for an hour.

In an actual book.

Yay for me. ;)

Then I put the dirty dishes

in the sink to soak,

put a wash load in the washer,

took some clothes out of the dryer to fold,

opened the oven to put away some pans

and realized how dirty it was,

so I took out the EASY OFF oven cleaner

and sprayed the oven.

What the hell,

I may as well clean all the burners too

while I’m at it…

Before I know it,

I’m in full cleaning mode.

I’ve got the rubber gloves on & everything.

And then I remember how little time

I’ve had to myself lately,

and how long it’s been since I’ve had fun,

and how sickening it is

to hear about what’s happening around the world

and how much time I’ve spent

with dad lately in the hospital

for appointments or visits to emergency

and how it feels like illness (or talking about illness)

has been part of my life now for too long.

Things have been a little rough for dad lately...

I feel sorry for him.

He’s 82, has Parkinson’s,

asthma, lung problems,

and now, allergies,

so I’m guessing hospital visits

and doctor’s appointments

are gonna happen more often than not.

And what can be more exhausting

and worrying

than not being able to breathe properly?

We’re all continuously adjusting

to new “normals”, aren’t we?

So as soon as the oven was clean,

I left the dishes in the sink (they’re still there),

left the clothes to be folded (they’re still there),

and took Fluffy for a nice walk.

Nothing soothes my soul more

than a walk in nature & fresh air.

After we got back,

I came here, to my blue room.

Lit a candle, opened the window,

and put on some soft music.

First I journaled a bit

(because that always grounds me

when I feel like I’ve got the

attention span of a pea.)

Then I painted (on paper) a bit.

And now, I’m here - blogging.

Not sure what I’ll do after this,

but it won’t be cleaning. :)

Mom always used to say:

“the dust will still be there tomorrow”.

Thanks mom, for reminding me that

there are always more important things to do

than cleaning.

:)

I took these photos (below) last weekend,

when I went for a walk on the beach.

I may need to go again tonight.

Aren't these patterns beautiful?
Sand that looks like tiny hills & craters.

thanks for being here.

Happy weekend everyone.

xo