As I’ve mentioned before, last year wasn’t my best. BUT I learned a whole heck of a lot. By far, one of the greatest things I learned was how futile whining can be, and BELIEVE ME I did my fair share. It isn’t like I didn’t already KNOW whining was a stupid thing to do, but it seems like we have to learn the same lessons over and over again. We’re human, after all, whether we like it or not.
In any case, I phoned a friend last summer and she listened patiently as I whined away. Even better though: I actually HEARD MYSELF whine away and that was horrid. I got off the phone, hated myself for a solid month and then I scooped myself up, put my big girl pants on and… ate my lemons.
You know what I mean.
The internet is abuzz with lemon quotes. When life gives you lemons…
make lemonade!
take them because hey, free lemons!
And on and on and on.
A little while back, my aunt posted my favorite rendition of the lemons quote on Pinterest. Here it is in jewelry form:
Now this MIGHT sound crazy to you, but I think about this quote all of the time.
You should know that I absolutely hate working out. I HATE it. My pants fit better, and I still HATE it! But I DO it because I NEED to. I absolutely need to. Vanity aside, my health requires me to work my body. I wake up in the morning and the first thing I do is say a prayer to help me eat my Jillian Michaels Lemon. or my P90X Yoga lemon.
I like the product.
The process? Bleck.
The same applies to my home. I’ve never been a stellar housekeeper, just as I’ve never been a stellar athlete. I don’t necessarily want the body of a stellar athlete, but I wouldn’t mind having the home of a stellar housekeeper, SO I work harder at housekeeping.
There’s a scripture in the Book of Mormon that tells us the Lord gives us weaknesses so that we may be strong. I love that scripture because when you read it you can practically HEAR the words shouting at you to get off your excuses and get to work.
“Eat them!” The words shout from the pages, “Eat the lemons and be DONE with them!”
A few years ago, my house was an utter. wreck.
It’s hardly a stretch to say I spent every waking minute either cleaning, thinking about cleaning, stressing about cleaning, or escaping into the media to avoid my housekeeping weaknesses.
You know the old saying, “If you don’t like where you are, change it”? Don’t you hate it when people say that to you? Like it’s the simplest thing in the world? Well, of course it is for THEM!
Oh, your pants don’t fit? Eat better! Go running! Just… change!
It’s true in theory, I know. But we all hate to hear it, particularly if the person saying it fits in their pants just fine. Again: we’re human.
I made very. slow. progress. as it pertains to housekeeping. I tried this and that. I worked harder, not smarter. But little by little, I became better. I changed.
Am I a good housekeeper now? Oh no. Not by a long shot, but am I a better housekeeper than I was 4 years ago? Yoooou betcha. Granted: I was sick, pregnant, and plastered to my couch 4 years ago, but hey. Don’t rain on my parade here.
I’m learning my limits. My strengths. My process. My routine. I’m learning what I need to stay sane, and I’m learning how to not only GET it but KEEP it.
I’m learning that having a clean house is LIFE CHANGING. It isn’t spotless, but it’s clean. What’s more: it’s been deliriously satisfying to WORK HARD to improve. I’m not satisfied while I work, but when I’m done? Oh, it’s like basking in Utopia.
Now: I clean on Mondays. I clean all day Monday. The past two Sundays have been cleanliness slaughter baths. I woke up yesterday morning and it took me thirty minutes to get the courage to GET OUT OF BED to face my very own home. You know what got me out? A little voice whispered to me, “If life give you lemons… just shut up and eat them.”
So I got up.
I worked out to Jillian Michaels.
I crawled back into bed and crocheted.
Then I got back up and cleaned my filthy, dirty, rotten house.
I wanted to text my husband and whine. I wanted to scream. I wanted to go back to bed and crochet some more, but if this last year has taught me anything, it’s that you have to do things you don’t want to do.
If you want the product, you have to endure the process.
You don’t have to enjoy it, mind you. Nevermind Mary Poppins’ spoonful of sugar, just down the medicine and be done with it.
Pinterest has been a great help to me in this area. A very great help indeedy.
I created a board I titled “A House of Order” to echo our family scripture, D&C 88:119.
CLICK HERE to see it.
Thanks to my board, my cleaning day goes by much faster. I don’t buy nearly as many cleaning products because I make my own, and my family life has improved significantly. The spirit is much stronger in my home, and THAT’S what I love most of all. I’d eat a bloomin’ crate of lemons to get that.
Today I’ll be sewing, something I enjoy doing. Because I used yesterday to clean, I’ll be able to get so much more done in the way of making aprons. Dinner will get on the table easier because my dishes are done. I’ll have the energy to stick next to my machine, thanks to P90X yoga. The house can take the mess of my fabrics because it’s ready for it.
It’s the product, people.
The product.
I enjoy the product.
The process can very well stuff it when I’m done with it. I could care less, so long as the product stays to play.
By the way, I found the above necklace on etsy. It has since sold out, but HERE is the shop.
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