Clean is clean

Some of you know that a few weeks back, I had a difficult situation which may or may not have been predicated on my desire to help someone out. I offered my apartment to be used as a hostel to a couple visitors to Arad. I was however, unaware of the extent my services would be needed. What I initially thought was going to be my putting a couple travelers up for a couple days, turned into two weeks. Suffice to say, that is a long time.

Upon their departure, I went into knee jerk cleaning mode. It was everything. I washed clothes, sheets, duvets, rugs and the like. I also swept, mopped, did the dishes and sanitized everything. This cleaning job took well over six hours and a level of peace began to wash over me.

It is a difficult task to keep something clean when something new is added to the mix. For the most part, I do a very good job of keeping my apartment clean. When the lodgers were added to the equation, I wasn't just cleaning up after myself, but them as well. Things became more difficult.

I understand the cathartic nature of cleaning. How it represents newness and a fresh start. I have seen this represented time and again through cinema and literature. The time that sticks most clearly in my mind is the Last Supper. I have never thought of Jesus washing the disciples feet as a sort of baptism, but that is precisely what it was. Jesus was accomplishing many things with this unselfish gesture (lowering himself, humbling himself, putting the needs of others before his own), doing a little house keeping of his own.