The Spirituality of Spring Cleaning

I love having a clean house. The problem is, while I don't mind cleaning (in fact, I really enjoy some tasks, such as laundry, mopping and rearranging accessories... a lot...), I am terrible at starting. I make task lists then actively avoid anything hard, because I don't know where to begin.

Enter my wonderful, cleaning husband. I've already told you how much he loves power yard equipment. He also loves cleaning products. The man doesn't just clean around the edges of things -- when he's done, everything looks like it was just freshly moved into the room. He is usually my jumpstarter. He will start out anywhere, and let it tell him where to go next. Once, before we rehabilitated our first floor, he went downstairs with a friend to find a tool. That led to moving boxes, which led to hauling out old furniture from previous tenants to stripping off old wallpaper. When I got home from work, the whole first floor was gutted and ready for me to prime and paint. What fortune!

I love working alongside him, because his love of cleaning is so contagious.

Last Sunday was our anniversary. My mom sent us money to go out for lunch (she always does that for us, and we appreciate it so!). Unfortunately, our littlest one was coming down with a cold, so we had to put the dinner plans on hold for a few days. Instead, we started our spring cleaning.
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Pamela Kristen, in her book, The Spirit of Getting Organized, talks about the sets of skills we use when we begin to exert our presence on our chaotic surroundings. First we need to decide where to begin and end, whether the task is the pantry, our desk, or the whole basement. Then we need to look at all our "stuff" and sort it, set up a staging area for our work, store what we want to save for later, and shed the things we don't. Finally, we need to sustain the progress we make -- no good doing all this work just to let chaos sneak back into the mix.

She goes on further to describe how the outward manifestation of our cleaning reflects inward changes, a spiritual shift. So while we are going through the clothes in our closet, we are observing the pants we have hung on hangers and acknowledging several pairs have not fit us in quite awhile. We begine to imagine how we could add two or three key accessories to pull together all those neutrals into several wonderful outfits. We choose which items are our "mainstays" for our wardrobe this year, and decide which ones no longer fit our authentic selves. For instance, I have a couple of very lacy dresses in my closet. Nice ones, but I am more a tie-dye, batik and Birkenstock kind of girl. It is time to choose. Finally, as we are sorting and organizing, we begin to engage fully with the task, connecting the mundane to deeper meaning.  Sound funny? Just note what goes through your head as you look at each clothing item: "Oh, this is a pair of flipflops I took to Hawaii... sigh... [long pause as I listen to surf sounds in my head]" -- "Oh, Mommy gave this purse to me. I miss Mommy..." See what I mean?

Need a practical way to start? Try this. Mark your calendar for 6 months from today. Then, turn all the hangers in your closet backward, so the bend is in the back of the closet. Each time you wear something, put it back with the hanger facing the proper way (bend toward you). At the end of six months, pull out anything that is still on a "backward" hanger, meaning you haven't worn it in six months. Get a big box, neatly fold all these items, and put them in it. Give the box to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Things that are no longer in good shape can be scavenged for spare buttons and rags. Your closet will now make you happier, as the items there will be "you". And you have practiced the sustainable practices of reduce, reuse and recycle by giving away or repurposing the items that you have discarded. Celebrate by shopping for that special clothing item that you always wanted.

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Here's an economical way to purchase meat. Wait until large cuts are on sale, then have the butcher custom cut it for your needs. For example, I frequently buy a whole boneless pork loin (6-9 lbs) and have the butcher slice some into thick chops, and leave a piece as a pork roast. This is much cheaper per pound than purchasing the chops and roast separately. I also prefer leaner ground beef than can be purchased inexpensively, so I will ask the butcher to grind up roasts instead. If you have the freezer space, give this idea a try.

Roast Pork Tenderloin and Vegetables with Mustard Vinaigrette

(Adapted from the Hartford Courant, 2/18/2010)
Serves 4

1/3 c plus 2 T olive oil
1 1/4 lbs of boneless pork chops
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 small zucchini, sliced in 1/4 in. slices
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup each of red and green bell pepper strips
2 T white vinegar
1 T brown mustard

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1 T of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season pork with 1/4 tsp of salt and pepper to taste. Cook in hot oil, turning until browned, 5-6 minutes. Transfer to 9 x 13 baking dish, and place in oven. Roast until pork is cooked through, 12-15 minutes. Let rest 5 minuts while you prepare the sauce.

Meanwhile, on a rimmed baking sheet, toss vegetables with 1 T of oil, remaining salt and pepper. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet. Roast, turning once, until tender, 12-15 min.

Whisk together vinegar, mustard and remaining 1/3 c of oil. Serve pork with vegetables; drizzle all with vinaigrette.

Serve with white rice.
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