What Matters Most

It's gotten out of hand. The housekeeper (me) sort of checked out during the last week of school. I mean, I managed to do a load of laundry here and there, and maybe I swept once, but I was definitely not plugged in to my normal duties around this house.

So...it was not all that pleasant to arrive here on Friday afternoon, free from my responsibilities with those 22 first graders, to the house being, let's just say, less than kept.

But I managed to keep a clear head. Before immediately tackling the dirt and the dust, like I normally would, I thought to myself...

"Self, what do you WANT to do on this last day of school, now that you are free at last?"

And guess what? My self did not choose housekeeping. Unbelievable, right? I did NOT choose to clean house on this special day. Instead, this self managed to squelch that desire by pouring a large Diet Coke with crushed ice, putting in a load of laundry (that always makes me feel like I'm doing something), and watching Oprah. Her guests, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, now very old people,  took me back a few years by singing Islands in the Stream. It was magical. For just an hour I forgot this crazy week...this crazy month, I mean. And just sat around BEing.

I've been known to be a clean freak. I worry about the way the house looks QUITE a lot. But today I caught myself living. What matters most on a day like today is time. Time to regroup, clear my head, dream of summer, and breathe.