True Confessions

I've lived in this house for 2 years and I have never, ever mopped the kitchen or bathroom floor. There, I said it. It's disgusting. I'm actually ashamed to admit that. Sure, we vacuum it when we do the rest of the living area, to get the crumbs up, but I have never actually cleaned it. It's one of those things that you promise to do "tomorrow" or "this weekend" and never gets done. Let's be honest, it's not much fun and easy to reschedule. Nobody is getting admitted to the proverbial Heaven because their floor is cleaner than another's, right? :) I'd look at it from time to time and say "This floor is disgusting!" but somehow that still wasn't enough to spur me to action. So today's Soul Coaching book had, among its tasks for Day 14 (last day of the Water Week) this blurb:

Today - Find another area of your home to clean. Perhaps you could wash the windows, scrub the floors, dust the shelves, or wash the curtains. Clean with intention. For example, if you scrub the floor, you might affirm: "I am supported, and my foundations are clear and strong."

So I thought about it and instantly realized that today would be my day to scrub the floor. I want a strong, clear foundation, dammit. And above all, I want a not-so-disgusting floor. I was home from work today, so thought I'd have all day to go about it. 5:00 rolled around and I realized I was still putting it off. What important things was I doing instead? Oh, stuff like Facebook and Norwest Cable News and an afternoon nap. All very nice things, but not getting my floor any cleaner. When I finally decided to do it, I realized I had no idea what I'd use to clean the floor. I always used ammonia before, but I'm trying to be more green, and while I didn't have proof, I imagined that a substance that makes me not able to breathe when I use it and irritates my hands is probably less than green. So I thought about vinegar. But then I realized I have none except balsamic, which is not really what I had in mind. I have this industrial-sized baking soda under the sink, and decided to dissolve some of that in some hot water, and add some GSE (grapefruit seed extract) that is suppposed to kill germs (or something like that). I've had it for a few years but never even opened it. So I dissolved the two in some hot water, got the mop (with its brand new mop head that has been sitting down in the basement forever) and mopped away, affirming the strong, solid, clear foundation stuff. My kitchen and bathroom are pretty small, so it really took no time at all. I can't imagine why I haven't done it long before this. And I am going to affirm to make it way less than 2 years before I do it again. No, it's not perfect, but it's clean. I've cleaned a lot while doing the Soul Coaching book. Just yesterday I bought this really interesting characoal body wash by Collective Wellbeing that is supposed to purify your body and absorb toxins. Who knows if it did, but when I showered with it, it felt like a ritual wash, almost like a baptism - I've been dealing with a lot of emotions lately and this was my way of washing them all away and starting anew. And my skin is so amazingly soft, so that's a great bonus. I also find it kinda cool to wash with black body wash. :) So, I guess I'm out of the running for the Most Disgusting Floors in West Seattle contest, huh? :)