As Mornings Go, It’s Been A Strange One.  I Awoke At 4:30 A.M. And Lay There In Deep Anxiety.  I Had Called The Maid Service The Day Before And They Had An Opening This Morning At 9.

I’ve had the ladies, three of them from a local cleaning service, come in from time to time, and do a deep cleaning of my small, one bedroom flat.  Yes, I know, I can do it myself, and I have, but every once in a while it’s nice to get the full treatment.

And more so these days of feeling so tired and running out of steam so easily.

They wipe everything down, from ceiling fans, to baseboards, to the cobwebs in the corners.  They vacuum the rugs and furniture with those hepa vacs. They even scrub the floors on their hands and knees.  I don’t remember ever doing that type of cleaning that required a knee bending operation.

And there’s always prep work on my part that is required before they can begin the process.  I had to clear all the clutter from surfaces in every room.

I labeled appliances I didn’t want them to clean the inside of, since I’m sensitive to some of the cleaners they use.  The do use all natural products, but some of them smell strong, so I don’t like that scent in the microwave or the toaster oven.

My cleaning product of choice has been a spray bottle of white distilled vinegar for the past few years.  I even use it in place of a fabric softener in the washing machine.  I can’t deal with that silicone-based synthetic fabric softener scent.

The gals don’t speak English, so I went ahead and translated the stuff I wanted to point out to them into Spanish.

Since Covid they started using disinfectant, which I don’t want.  I have my vinegar, thank you very much.  So I wanted to be sure they understood that.

Along with some others things I was concerned about, the anxiety level was ticking up.

I tried reminding myself how good it always feels afterward, with a nice, clean place to relax in.

But it wasn’t working.  I couldn’t wait for them to come, do the job, and leave.  Then I could relax, and go for my coffee.  I noticed the anxiety was out of the ball park. Was I going to have to check myself into the Psycho-Neurotic Institute for the Very, Very Nervous? 

Shortly after 9 a.m. my iPhone rang, and it was the Maid Service. The administrator said one of the women got into an accident, and apologized that the service was cancelled for today.

I responded with, no problem, and I hoped the woman was ok.  I said I would call back to reschedule.

Within moments all the tension left my body.

I gathered my iPad and notebook and came here to the cafe for my morning coffee.

So, I have to wonder, did I feel some of that anxiety from the woman who had the accident?

Because obviously she was feeling anxious on some level to attract the incident.

This is interesting because for many of us, our sensitivities have become very acute during this transformation, both physically and emotionally.  And, even though we are releasing our caretaking roles, we may still be feeling others stuff.

Its intense out there, so it’s important to remember that if we are feeling anxious, try not to take it personally.

So, now that all my surfaces at home are clear of clutter, I suppose I could dive in and do a little cleaning myself.  I’ll just take a room at a time.