Things As They Are and As They Should Be

There is a familiar song that says, "It's not having what you want, It's wanting what you've got!" I have never been one who could live by that motto.

I am forever looking for ways to change my surroundings. I get bored with the same old furniture, the same old decorations, the same old pictures, pillows, throws and rugs.

Even more discouraging is the fact that day after day I am overwhelmed by the same old dirt - dust bunnies on the stairs, sticky goo on the kitchen floor, grass from cleats, stacks of backpacks, piles of shoes, electrical chargers and computers left in chairs, on floors and on beds, and mountains of laundry.

I can't even face the mess that is found in the bathrooms - make-up on the counter, toothpaste in the sink, Q-tips, hair elastics, bobby pins and scraps of pre-wrap on the back of the toilet. It is my world within the four walls of my own home. I try not to let the "stuff" take over the house. But, frankly, I am out-numbered. I can only "shovel" so fast.

It is probably for this reason that each Friday when I go to the temple, I have the urge to ask if I can just move in! I love a sense of order.

Everything in it's place. No dust, no dirt, no one's stuff lying around. Not to mention the pure pleasure of quiet solitude.

Clearly, there is no way I can stay at the temple permanently. So, usually I find myself back at home for a good Friday filled with cleaning.

It is certainly no secret that I hate the winter! Actually, it is not the winter itself that I hate. It is the cold! I know that as soon as the temperature drops, I will spend the next several months never feeling warm.

The first cool fall mornings put me into a complete tailspin. However, along with the crispness of the air and the chill of the frosty ground, comes the opportunity for a welcome change of surroundings.

I love to pull out the fall decorations. I get excited to refill the candy jars with caramels and candy corn.

I relish the idea of scattering decorative acorns around the house.

Even more refreshing is the opportunity to clean out the flower beds and pile up the pumpkins in the wheel barrel near the front door.

After a good Friday cleaning, I can actually walk through the front door and breath in the fresh scent of Pine-sol and feel happy. I like my house when it is clean.

I love knowing the blinds have been dusted and the tables have been shined. Life is good when the carpets are vacuumed and the hardwood floors are mopped. Steaming the bathrooms makes me feel like I have actually accomplished something, even though the effects are short-lived. And, perhaps most fulfilling of all is the thought that all of the stacks of clothes are not visible. There are those rare and fleeting moments when things around the house are actually "as they should be."